All posts by Duncan Wierman

Uncategorized

How to overcome Google filter for new websites

It’s easier to get high rankings on Google with older websites than it is with new websites. Why is this so and what can you do to get high rankings on Google if you have a brand new website?

Why is it easier to get high rankings with older websites?

Brand new domain names are often used by spammers to make a quick buck. These spammers buy hundreds of domains, fill them with automatically created scraper content and hope to make some money with the ads that appear on these sites.

In addition, some webmasters use new domains to test new search engine spamming techniques.

As it is difficult for Google to find out whether a new domain can be trusted or not, Google invented a set of filters that downranks new websites until Google thinks that they can be trusted.

What can you do to overcome Google’s filters for new websites?

It’s very difficult to get high rankings before Google trusts your website.  For that reason, do things that make your website trustworthy:
Continue reading How to overcome Google filter for new websites →

Uncategorized

Up to 70 Percent of Defaults Linked to Misrepresentation in Mortgage Applications

Maybe it would help morale if Mozilo would ban access to CNN too: “The SEC was asked by the state treasurer of North Carolina, Richard H. Moore, to look into changes Angelo R. Mozilo made to his arranged stock selling program in the months before the Calabasas, Calif., lender’s shares plunged as the nation’s mortgage crisis mushroomed, the newspaper said.”

“Mounting evidence suggests bubble conditions may be emerging in US commercial real estate valuations, CreditSights warns in a new report on the sector.”

Probate

Probate Investing Adventure Success

Here is an interesting deal that illustrates the mechanics of probate or estate investment home purchases.

 

The Seller (I’ll call him Dave) co-owned this house with his mom, and both had signed on the loan. Unfortunately Dave’s mother died three years previously. Dave allowed the sister to live in the house, but she did not make the mortgage payments which were now 6 months in arrears. Dave is tired of dealing with the house and is ready to sell. But when he and his mother bought the house, they did not purchase with ‘joint rights of survivorship". Had they bought in this manner, if and when either died, total ownership would have passed immediately to the other person.

 

To complicate matters more, Dave’s mother left no will for her estate with six other siblings all awaiting their share. If that’s not enough of an investing adventure for you — the bank is threatening foreclosure so time is of the essence to create a deal. In fact, the bank is not just threatening….the house is scheduled to go to the courthouse steps in three weeks. Why would anyone even try to purchase a mess like this with a short time frame? Well, Dave owes $33,000 + $5,000 in back payments. The house just needs cosmetic repairs totaling no more than $10,000, and the house will have a market value of about $140,000.

 

That leaves approximately a $92,000 margin less expenses until the property sells – definitely worth pursuing as an investor! So lets investigate further

Continue reading Probate Investing Adventure Success →

Selling Fast

Another tip to sell your houses faster

In spite of the subprime dry up, there are underwriters still willing to offer 100% financing to our buyers. Our marketing is  currently focused around owner financing and "No Money  Down" in order to get the phones to ring.
 
A mortgage broker called me yesterday because he had  someone qualified but couldn’t find a home or seller willing to  work with them. If you still have inventory that you’re trying to  sell, fax and call every mortgage broker in town and tell them  you’re a flexible seller willing to carryback a 2nd.
 
Be sure to fax them weekly with your available inventory. Most make the mistake and assume one telephone call or fax will do the trick. Stay in front of them and be sure to place their telephone number in your flyers and advertisements. I usually  precede it with "Buy this Home with Zero Down by calling.."

 

Happy Investing

 

 

 

Web Domain Name Investing

Domain Investing: The Next Real Estate Boom?

A website domain is very much like a piece of property. It is owned by someone. It can be bought and sold, traded or transferred. And just as we’ve all witnessed a nice run up in housing prices over the past few years, good domain names appreciate and can (maybe) fetch enough to put your kid through college – if you know what you’re doing and how to maximize your ROI.

Get Reach Quick? Hardly.

If you Google “domain investing” you’ll see that every Tom, Dick and Louise has written the definitive text on how to make billions trading domain names. Oh, yea? Well, if these guys know how to make money trading domain names, why in the world would they tell you – at any price!

Skip the “get rich quick” approach for a couple of reasons. First, every really great domain name has already been thought of and registered. Okay, maybe there are one or two yet to be created but the chances of you coming up with the next big thing are like zero. It’s just not going to happen.

However, there are ways to make money in domain investing. Let’s look at a couple of investment opportunities designed for aggressive investors. Please, don’t bet the farm on a domain name.

Know the Market

Would you buy a stock without doing some background research? What if you didn’t understand how the stock market functions? It’s tough enough to make money in domain investing without adding market ignorance to the mix. Tag several domain trading websites and track them until you get a feel for what sells for what. Really good names can bring some nice money your way. One example: a domain that was purchased in 2000 for $10,000 recently sold for $65,000. That’s a very nice ROI in any investment arena. Of course, it’s the exception to the rule, which is why it got so much media play.

It can happen, but it might take some time. You’re more likely to make $50 on a domain name trade but it’s fun and it is fifty bucks. Just keep it in perspective and only invest what you can afford to lose.

Buying and Appraising the Quality of Domain Names

There are plenty of sites where domain investors buy and sell names with legs, that is, domains that already have a business attached to them. These are attractive to entrepreneurial types interested in building web-based businesses.

Or, sometimes, you’ll find a great domain name, perfect for your on-line venture, for sale on these domain investing and trading websites. No business attached. You’re just buying the name.com. You may have to bid your way to ownership, or make an outright purchase if it really is the perfect domain name.

Either way, you can hire a domain name appraiser – yes, they really exist – who will run all kinds of diagnostics on the name to see how it would do if you bought it. Or, if you aren’t interested in the name for your own use, you can simply take your chances, register one or a bunch of domains for very little and post (it) them for sale or lease.

Building Cyber Equity

Another way to make some cash through domain investing is to register a “good” domain name and then actually generate some revenue through actual sales, Adwords or some other steady income from the website. You are, in fact, building cyber equity, adding value to the domain name by also delivering a functioning website and even some web traffic.

Think of it this way. There are people who make a lot of money “flipping” real estate. They buy a house that needs fixing up, they fix it up and resell at a profit. Or, so the flipper hopes.

Same deal here. You register the domain name, which shouldn’t cost more than a few bucks, you spend a few Sundays getting hooked up with a PPC or affiliate program (or why not 10 PPC and affiliate programs) and you’ve got cash flow that immediately increases the value of the domain name.

A higher page rank will also increase the value of a domain name, so some SEO work may pay off big time when the sale is finally made. If you buy a domain name and simply park it on some host’s server, you aren’t taking full advantage of your investment, even if it’s only a $2.95 domain registration fee. Put the domain to work for you and chances are, you’ll increase its value at the time of sale. And make some extra bucks while waiting for sale day.

Buy Domain Names in Bulk

Once again, take a little time to learn about domain name registrations. There are plenty of sites that’ll give you a significant break on registration when you register in bulk. Some players in this market register 1000s of domain names at a time for maybe a buck or two per registration. Then, they market their inventory. Very risky and not for the faint of heart.

Know What You Need to Know

So, if you don’t know much about domain name investing, take the time to learn – to learn how to construct a simple website, to generate income from sources other than direct sales, although if you do have access to a useful product or service, why not use the site for direct sales as well. It only increases the value of your domain name when you can show you’re making $50 bucks a week as an affiliate site for the XYZ company and $100 a week selling products.

Is Cyber Realty In Your Future?

It is if your expectations are reasonable, you don’t invest more than you can afford to lose and, most importantly, you learn the rules of the game – everything from how the market operates to how to build equity in a domain name.

If you think of a domain as a “place” just like a home, the market dynamics are similar. The difference? People need a home. They don’t need to spend $5,000 on your really cool domain name. In other words, domain investing isn’t a needs-driven marketplace.

Remember Beanie Babies?

Basic economics 101: a market is only strong as long as its investors believe in the market’s ability to make a profit. Just a few years back, people were buying up Beanie Babies for investment, spending hundreds and even thousands of dollars for a stuffed toy! Visit eBay today to see what Beanie Babies are selling for. The market in plush collectables lost faith in its ability to generate a profit and the bottom fell out. Overnight!

Anything, including a domain name, is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. And in the case of domain names, supply far outstrips demand so you better have a good product. Preferably one that’s earning some income.

And if you get an attractive offer, take it. It’s pretty unlikely that you’ll find another buyer willing to pay bigger bucks for that domain.

It is a market – domain names – but it’s a fickle market, it isn’t needs-driven and there’s always more supply than demand. Still, by taking a few simple steps, you can add value to a domain name and actually make a few hundred bucks.

No, it won’t get your kid through college, but it might pay the air fare to get her there.

 

 

 

 

Probate

When The Power Of Attorney Fails

The estates of the elderly, their finances, medical situations and their property are often abused. A

The problem with Durable POA is that it relies on assumption; the assumption that the agent will honor your wishes. The longer a person remains incapacitated, the less likely that the remaining relatives will bring issues to the surface. Details about checks being written over years, management of finances and care of property all fade away with time. It is not a simple issue that our families love us.

A real life example exemplifies why Living Wills and Durable Power of Attorney does not protect your assets or protect the inheritance that you expect to bequeath to your heirs, as in the case of George Ferrara in 2006 as ruled upon by the New York State Appellate Court.

In 1999 a stock broker named George Ferrara willed his life’s savings to the Salvation Army. In January 2000, the ailing George Ferrara signed a POA over to his nephew Dominic. George Ferrara signed a form that said that the agent could make “gift” payments to the nephew Dominic Ferrara. By the time George died, the account was empty and there was no money left for the Salvation Army. When brought before the court, the court ruled that the “agent” must act in the best interest of the principal. It is fantastic that the court ruled this way, but there was one big problem: The money was already gone. Herein, lays the dilemma.

If the agent does not act on behalf, the POA and the basis of the intention of the principal are just a smoke screen. In the case of George Ferrara’s assets, they certainly were not protected in the manner of original intention. In reality, the assets of George Ferrara were not protected with the original intent of George Ferarra.

Wouldn’t a Living Will have helped George Ferrara?

A Living Will is a legal document that specifies in advance any life-sustaining measures a person refuses to undergo if there is no reasonable expectation of recovery. Typically, a person may refuse the use of feeding tubes, respirators and cardiac resuscitation. The Living Will makes an incapacitated individual’s treatment preferences known in a set of limited and specific circumstances and serves as a guide in medical decisions. This Will has power over the Medical or Durable POA and conveys the wishes of the principal.

A Living Will has power of the principal while they are alive and their Last Will and Testament enacts upon death. The problem is that only the Durable of Power of Attorney authorizes movement of property and finances, and this is at the digression of the agent.

If George Ferrara had his affairs set up differently, he could have prevented the movement of his assets so that his last wishes could have been honored.

When presented in this light, one conclusion is apparent. You should understand ALL of your options before signing anything away. Having said that, POA’s are important and necessary. As you investigate your options, each state has their own technicalities when it comes to Durable POA’s and/or health care proxies. Trustmakers is available to enlighten you with opportunities that will protect your assets and your bequest in a coordinated effort with your Estate Planning. We believe that you should know all of the options before making such an important choice in life.

Stay well and be protected.

Lead Generation, List Building

Turn your Business into a cash machine with other people’s money

Many people start out investing in real estate using their own money and credit. This works fine for the first few deals. But eventually, as you purchased 20 to 30 properties, your lenders  will cut me off from further deals and your personal funds may dry up. I had built up a great deal of real estate equity, but was locked out from doing other deals with my traditional lender and could barely pay for my own groceries.

You will have to find another way to fund real estate deals or your investing career was over.

I discovered private lenders who have funds to lend for real estate deals, but do not want the headaches and paperwork to actually manage tenants or properties. These individuals are generally middle class people, like you and me, who have some extra funds to lend. They can be retired business people, corporate executives, professionals such as doctors, lawyers, or business owners or even blue collar workers all looking for returns substantially above the 3% to 5% they get at the banks.

Let me first explain my definition of “Private Money”. Private money is funding that comes from private individuals, friends, family, IRA’s or any source other than institutional or conventional means. It is sometimes referred to as “Hard Money” or “Flash Cash.”

The question I had to figure out was, “How do I find enough of these folks to run an active real estate business buying 2 to 4 houses per month?” To address this issue, I developed a marketing plan that would allow these individuals to call me and raise their hand to indicate their interest in our lending program.

How Do I find Private Lenders?

Well, frankly, we advertise for them. It’s as simple as that! Finding private money is not nearly as difficult as people think. My simple marketing plan includes many of the following activities:

Network with everyone you know and develop a 60 second “Elevator Speech”: “Are you getting a safe 9 to 12% return on your idle cash or retirement funds? No! Well, we buy houses and pay cash for each house and we use private lenders to fund our deals. We pay 9% to 12% on notes secured by local real estate. If you are not getting that type of predicable return on your money, I’ll be glad to get you the details. We occasionally hold a free small luncheon for potential investors, or I could also sit down with you at your convenience and show you how it works. If you like what you hear, simply let me know how much you’re looking to invest and how long you can have your funds tied up. I’ll put you on my list and look for an investment opportunity that meets your needs. When I find one, I will call you. At that time you can pass or play. There’s no obligation.”

Newspaper Ads such as Private Money Needed, Earn 14% plus 5 points, Rental, 70% LTV $65,000 call xxx-xxx-xxxx or Mortgage Note for Sale: $190,000 1st mortgage at 9% with low LTV. Call xxx-xxx-xxxx

REIA Newsletter and CraigList Ad: PRIVATE LENDERS NEEDED – Earn 9% to 12% hassle free on your idle cash or retirement funds secured by local real estate. I’m a professional real estate investor with over 50 successful transactions completed since 1999. I am not a financial planner, but a full-time buyer and seller of single family homes. We use private funds to pay cash for our real estate purchases and can pay you 9% to 12% when you help us fund our purchases.

To learn more visit us at www.xxxxxxxxx.com or call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Invest by xxxx 31, 200x and earn a $1,000 bonus.

Flyers, Postcards, and Speeches/Presentations: We also use flyers and postcards with a similar message using the above examples. Also, one of the best ways to get private lenders is to speak or present to groups. Senior citizen groups are always looking for presenters to attend their meetings and these people quite often have excess cash in CD’s or IRA’s that make them a natural lender.

Having private capital resources is critical to the success of the serious creative real estate entrepreneur. Even if you desire to use your own money, it never hurts to have another source or two available. If your funds are tied up, and a great deal comes along, you can immediately jump on it.

If you follow some or all of the above marketing suggestions, you will have people with money seeking you out to lend you money for your next deal.

 

 

Wholesaling

Help for Your House Flipping Fear

How many times have you let fear stop you from doing what you wanted to do? We all think we’re beyond that. However, the truth is, fear stops everyone at some point in their lives. Think back to a specific incident in your life where you were so intimated by the “what ifs” that you completely talked yourself out of your idea. Have you ever convinced yourself that obstacles were insurmountable and there was no point in proceeding?

Continue reading Help for Your House Flipping Fear →

Lead Generation

Hot Tip for finding more leads

 

Here it is.. keep this one to yourself….

If you can find out who in your city is in charge of properties for wards of the city, you may be able to come up with some creative financing in a tight market. For instance, many older people with our beneficiaries become wards of the local government

When the older people are no londer able to take care of themselves, such as alzheimers, ect. then the local goverment often steps in. You can often times buy properties from the city, where an older person still lives, and then lease back the property to the city. Then take possession once the older person has passed on.

We should call this the PRE-PROBATE market!