My Cashflow House

It’s no secret that real estate investing has become the “weapon of choice” for many investors. With the stock market growing more and more uncertain it’s not hard to understand why. While real estate investing can be very lucrative and when done right can present very little risk, it’s important to remember that timeless adage “knowledge is key”. As with any financial decision to be made, no one should jump into real estate investing without gaining as much knowledge as possible on the front end. While it is true that experience is the best teacher, having a good knowledge base to begin with might just make your experience a little less scary. With this in mind, following are five things to consider BEFORE doing your first deal.

1. Tend to your personal finances first
Many prospective investors view real estate as a means to get out of financial trouble. Many real estate “gurus” will advocate this practice and even use it as a selling point to sell their latest and greatest real estate investing system. I am definitely not of this mindset. Real estate investing is a great way to secure your financial future but certainly not at the expense of your financial “present”. If you are having financial problems and are having trouble making ends meet, take steps to rectify the situation before risking any money in real estate. As I stated earlier real estate investing can carry less risk than many other forms of investing, but there are still risks and if you are not in a position to handle the setbacks than you are basically just gambling and that is a very dangerous investment strategy.

2. Choose a strategy.
There are many ways to make money in real estate investing. You can buy a property and immediately flip it for profit. You can buy a property and hold it banking on an increase in value in the near future. You can buy a property for rental. You can buy a distressed property and make improvements. There are countless ways to make money. The important thing to remember is that each of these strategies carries its own set of “rules”, if you will, for making a profit. Some might say you should never limit yourself to one strategy and I whole-heartedly agree in the over all realm of your real estate portfolio. What I want to stress here is that indecision in regards to each individual real estate deal can cause you a lot of heartache, frustration and LOST PROFIT, which we could all do without. Decide up front which strategy is best for you and then proceed to find a property that meets your needs.

3. Do your research
While this may sound elementary, it’s very easy to get caught up in the emotion of what seems like a good deal and in the process act hastily. Always, and I mean ALWAYS thoroughly investigate a property before you sign anything. Try to determine if the property has suffered any significant damage, find out if the property is in a flood plain, find out if there is more than 1 lien against a property, etc. Create a property inspection checklist up front and check every one off before you decide to do a deal. When doing a conventional deal with a mortgage lender the lender will likely take care of a lot of these steps (they want to protect their investment as well) however, it is always good practice to pay for a thorough inspection before you make the deal.

4. Stick to a budget
Decide what you can afford and are willing to spend on a real estate deal and DO NOT deviate. Many real estate investing coaches will tell you not to let a good deal go just because you don’t have the money. “Get creative” they say. While I do not shun the idea of creative financing completely I certainly don’t recommend it for the beginning investor. “Zero Down” deals can be very appealing but they also can increase your risk factor tremendously. In a nutshell, if you can’t afford it, it’s not a good deal.

5. Be prepared to walk away
Never get emotionally attached to a property. Emotions can cloud your judgment causing you to make unwise decisions. It’s almost a certainty that if you stick with real estate investing long enough you will come across a deal that seems irresistible. Do not get overly excited and sell yourself on the deal before due diligence is done. This mindset can cause you to overlook some warning signs that otherwise might be deal breakers. Go back and read number 3 again. Be objective and be skeptical. Reserve judgment for after your inspection checklist has been completed. Always be prepared to walk away; there’s likely another prospective deal just around the corner.

These five principles are a good guideline for anyone starting out. While real estate investing can be a rollercoaster ride at times with many ups and downs, sticking to these basic principles will all but guarantee that you will come out on top. Happy Investing!

The Indianapolis Public Schools Click Program

The Indianapolis Schools Click Program, a professional development program for teachers, helped teachers designed web based learning activities for students, called WebQuests. The Indianapolis Public School website offers a range of WebQuests, arranged by grade level (K – 2, 3 – 5, 6 – 8, 9 – 12) and subject area. Many of the WebQuests connect multiple subject areas. All the WebQuests are offered free to the Indianapolis Public School community in order to enhance student learning on a variety of subjects. They are easily accessed by clicking on the relevant grade level and subject area on the website.

What is a WebQuest?

A WebQuest is defined as an “inquiry based activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web.” WebQuests are designed to focus learners on using information and support thinking on all levels of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students are given the exact location of the information that they need in the order that they need it in order to use the learner’s time effectively. The model followed by the Indianapolis Public Schools was developed by San Diego State University in 1995. The WebQuests on the Indianapolis Public School website are best viewed with the latest version of Internet Explorer.

A Sample WebQuest About Dinosaurs

In order to see the creative and interesting uses for WebQuests, let’s look at one particular example. This WebQuest was developed by an Indianapolis Public School elementary science teacher to help students learn about dinosaurs.

At the beginning of the WebQuest, there is a clear assignment: a pair of students is going to design a poster about one of the dinosaurs they learn about in the Dinosaurland WebQuest. In order to do this, they are instructed to print out pictures and type out important information. The Indianapolis Public School students will be judged on their correct use of spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, bringing in a writing element to this science lesson.

The WebQuest provides students with information about Meat Eating Dinosaurs, Plant Eating Dinosaurs, and Fossils. In each section, the students are directed to look at information provided by various museums, including the Cyber Space Museum of Natural History and Exploration Technology, the Exhibit Museum of Natural History, the Dallas Museum of Natural History, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and the Royal Ontario Museum. In addition to these professional sites, Indianapolis Public School students are also directed to teacher – produced websites that give details about specific dinosaurs in addition to graphics pages like the 3D Dinosaurs Pictures Web Page.

At the end of the WebQuest, students are provided with a detailed rubric for completing their poster. This rubric includes how many points the students will gain or lose for each part of the poster, including Spelling, Capitalization, Punctuation, Pictures, and Presentation. At the end of this rubric is a page for the Indianapolis Public School teacher to print out and complete with details about the student’s work and accomplishments. In this way, the Indianapolis Public School student works almost entirely independently from the teacher to create and present a unique insight into the subject.

How is the market for Indianapolis HUD homes? One word, Great!
First, what are HUD homes?
A HUD home is a 1 to 4 unit residential property acquired by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a result of a foreclosure action on an FHA-insured mortgage. HUD becomes the property owner and offers it for sale to recover the loss on the foreclosure claim.
The number of central Indiana HUD homes sold in 2006 (as of 10/31/06) is up over 70% for the same period in 2005.
The overall rate for Indiana foreclosures is usually in the top ten for the nation. The Indiana foreclosure rate for the 3rd Quarter of 2006 is up 40% over 3rd Quarter of 2005.
According to RealtyTrac first annual 2006 U.S. Metropolitan Foreclosure Market Report, Indianapolis leads the nation in having the highest foreclosure rate among the nation’s largest 100 metropolitan areas. The report documented an Indianapolis foreclosure rate of one foreclosure for every 69 households.
Sales of HUD homes in Indianapolis area and central Indiana represents almost 7% of the market for single family residential properties.
HUD homes in Indianapolis area are not just old houses ready to fall down. Almost 50% of the Indianapolis HUD homes sold in 2005 and 2006 are less than 10 years old, 35% less than 5 years old.
Why are new homes going into foreclosure in the Indianapolis area?
It is my opinion some of the large Indianapolis area home builders have been too aggressive in getting new home buyers into homes.
In order to get some new home buyers qualified for mortgages they will do a 2-1 or 3-1 buy down of the interest rate. Also, in Indiana we pay property taxes in the arrears. The property taxes for a new house initially would be only for the lot because the house hasn’t been assessed yet.
In a couple of years the interest rate and property taxes will go up, just increasing the home buyer’s payment $200-$500 per month. They can’t make the mortgage payment and the property goes into foreclosure. Unfortunately for the home buyer the property becomes one of many Indiana foreclosures. If it was financed by a FHA insured loan it will become an Indiana HUD foreclosure.
What does all this mean to you? It means great opportunity for you!
If you are looking for a home at a bargain price or a great investment property in central Indiana, one of the 300 Indianapolis HUD homes currently on the market may be just what you are looking for. The time is right to buy Indianapolis HUD homes!
You can do a search for Indianapolis HUD homes on my website and also learn more about how to buy HUD homes for sale.

Are the lenders rejecting you or your buyer's loan?

Once you instantly download OWNER FINANCING: THE KEY TO SELLING YOUR HOME FAST IN GOOD OR BAD MARKETS, you’ll learn how to set up a seller financed mortgage so that it works for both the buyer and the seller. Buy without a bank or Mortgage Company. Sell when your buyers can’t get financed. Whether you are buying a home or selling one, This 27 page manual will guide your decision about whether or not owner financing is right for you

You’ll Learn

• What goes into a Quality Contract
• What contracts could get you in trouble
• How to Understand a Privately Held Contract and Note
• What a Quality Second Mortgage looks like
  
• Warning Signs a Low Quality Second Mortgage
• A Proven Way to Get Your Home Sold Fast in a Tight Money Market
  
• Advertising that Gets Your Home Sold
  
• The Best Ways to Show Your Home
• Getting lots of Buyers with Open Houses
• How to set the right Price and Terms Of Payment
• If Borrowing Against Your Contract Can Work For You
  

Click here to find out more

__________________________

See what Owner Financing options you have right now

___________________________________

Real Estate Investing Trainee Wanted
Let me show you a system where you could make $500 in less than a month only working a few minutes a day.

Now you’re probably thinking , yeah right I heard that before.

STOP THINKING SO HARD.

Reasons Why You Won’t Do This

1. IT SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE
2. I CAN’T AFFORD WHAT IT PROBABLY COSTS TO START
3. YOU THINK IT’S JUST ANOTHER SCAM
4. TOO MUCH WORK WITH NO RESULTS
5. REAL ESTATE IS TOO COMPLICATED FOR ME

again I repeat

STOP THINKING SO HARD

You owe it to yourself to find out how real and easy this actually is.

This makes you money not costs you money REALLY!

Find out more right now!

Click here now…

Human beings raise above all the species of the Animal Kingdom. We are the most intellectual creatures as we can rationalize; show emotions, do logical tasks, speak with words and many skills that are evident to every person living. Despite it all, animals symbolically represent the characteristics of the humankind. Sometimes, animals are personified in statements. This figure of speech is not only important in making poetry. However, they are used to rationalize the strengths within humans. Moreover, there is no other way to describe them but through animals.
In the field of sports, a group of men forming a team creates logos in their uniforms to represent them as a whole. All of their qualities are being backed up by a particular creature abundant in their hometowns or what they can see the best to describe their performance. One of the commonly used symbols is the horse. These warm-blooded creatures are not only gifted with good equine intelligence but they are also the symbolism of speed, agility and manhood. No wonder most sports in United States and across the world, utilize this creature as part of their logos.
Some of the teams that use them are:
1.Indianapolis Colts- Although they do not have the shape of the horse on their logo, they used a horseshoe for it. Their name is derived from its male variety. This was the former Baltimore team. They were one of the first 11 members when NFL was founded. They changed their name as such because of the financial difficulties they faced from their loss.
2.Cornwall Colts- This is a hockey team from Canada. They were the champions for the Bogart Cup, 4 times in 1995-1996 and 2000-2001.They also won the Fred Cup but never got a title to the Royal Bank Cup.
3.Denver Broncos- The team from Denver Colorado founded in 1959. They have two logos with horses in it. All are in the shades of orange and blue. In the early days, they never had titles in the AFC but in 1997-98, they became the Super bowl Champions.
Horses are not only used to represent teams in baseball, football or hockey. They are used as a symbol for luxury cars. The famous Ferrari, the famous Italian sports car, uses a black stallion with shield as their symbol. They are also famous for their sleek and sexy automobile appearance with speed you cannot get in your ordinary cars. Ford Mustang is also one of the to-die for cars that you can get. It is one of the so-called “dream cars” for many men. Their famous logo is a mustang running wild. This car is also used for racing. If you have one of this, whether old or not, you will be glad to have it overhauled. Moreover, when you do, you can have people will turn their heads upon hearing the roar of the engine.
Horses are good representation for any team sports like football. Indianapolis Colts, Cornwall and Denver Broncos are just some of the professionals using their logo. Moreover, as for cars, well most of them using horses as logo are built for speed. Therefore, if you want to be the next fast and the furious on your streets think horses.

The Indianapolis Colts are enjoying their stay at their new home – the Lucas Oil Stadium. The stadium is a retractable roof stadium located in Indianapolis, Indiana which opened in the second half of 2008. The new stadium replaces the RCA Dome which was the long time home of the Colts. This stadium is constructed in preparation for the Super Bowl XLVI to be held in 2012. Aside from the stadium, a new high-rise JW Marriot Indianapolis is being constructed as part of the preparation for the Super Bowl.
The architectural firm behind the design of the new stadium is HKS, Inc. with Walter P. Moore as the structural engineer. Similar to other stadium, the Lucas Oil Stadium has a retractable roof and window wall which allows the Colts to play outdoors. The concept of kinetic architecture was utilized in the design of the stadium for it to be a multi-functional facility with the ease of conversion for an increased return of investment.
The rights to name the stadium was purchased by Lucas Oil for approximately $120 million for 20 years, thus it is fondly nicknamed as The Luke by some commentators. Despite the state-of-the-art facilities of the new home of the Indianapolis Colts, a retro look is inculcated in the design as a result of Indianapolis’s liking of a field house appearance of sports venues which were popular a few decades ago. The construction of the stadium costs $720 million which was raised through a cooperative effort from the government of Indiana and the Colts.
The seating capacity of the new stadium for football games is 5,000 more than the old one. Now, 63,000 fans can watch from the sidelines during the game. In the event that Indiana will host the Super Bowl, this seating capacity can be increased to 70,000. For basketball games, the seating capacity of the facility can go beyond 70,000. Features of the new stadium includes two huge Daktronics HD scoreboards each measuring 97 feet wide and 53 feet tall and located in the northwest and southeast corners of the stadium.
The retractable roof of the Lucas Oil Stadium was designed by Uni-Systems. The roof divides lengthwise into two retractable panels, each sliding down the slope of the roof of the stadium when it is open. Each panel weighs 2.7 million pounds each. It takes nine minutes for the roofs to open, twelve minutes for it to close and is fully automated at that. What is unique about these retractable roofs is that it is the first ever roof that divides lengthwise. However, the entire stadium is not waterproof so the roofs remain close for most of the year.
A peculiar addition to the stadium’s design is the large moveable window wall that allow additional light while closed and gives a more open environment when open. This is another first for that stadium since it is the largest movable glass wall in the world. The first NBC Sunday Night Football of the 2008 NFL Season was played in the Lucas Oil Stadium. Unfortunately, the home team wasn’t able to grab the win.

Rarely do people take summers out of the beach front; for most believe that vacation is the time to live under the great rays of the sun. It is true, but can you put up with a summer vacation that gives you more than a view of the sun and sand? You call it Indianapolis vacation.
An Indianapolis vacation is another exceptional trip. Aside from the regular vacation routines of shopping, food binges, day tours, and other pleasurable trips within the city, the incredible hangouts and nightlife are definitely another fun reason to go to the city.
Here is a partial list of bars and clubs to hang out with your friends while on vacation:
Comedy Clubs
• ComedySportz Indianapolis presents its comedy performers on stage for a completely hilarious and fun night for everyone. Recommended for all ages.
• Cracker Comedy Club offers the best comedy acts. Hollywood comedy actors like Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O’ Donnell and Tim Allen came from this club. It has two branches – Broad Ripple and Downtown branches.
•Wisecrackers Comedy Club boasts of their comedy performers coming from New York comedy clubs to Los Angeles clubs.
Cigar Bars
• Daddy Jack’s is English-styled restaurant and cozy bar that specializes on pasta, steaks, appetizers, chicken, and designer salads. A great hangout to catch sporting events on TV.
• Indy Cigar Bar is a unique bar that features cigars from Davidoff; considered to be the only Diamond Crown cigar Lounge in Indiana.
Sports Bars
• Average Joe’s Sports Pub provides pool games, jukebox, darts, big screen TV, and the perfect taste of beers and food appetizers to keep your game going.
• Benchwarmers Sports, Food and Spirits Bar has two locations – Holiday Inn North at the Pyramids and Holiday Inn Select Airport. This bar is an upscale, fun, and stylish bar to grab a beer with friends.
Dance Clubs
• 8 Seconds Saloon has live entertainment shows, country music nights, and club mixes from house DJs.
• Birdy’s Bar & Grill entertains the younger crowd with rock, pop, and live gigs.
• Casba Bar is a club that spells coziness and soft tunes.
Lounges/Bars
• Agio Restaurant and Bar is an elegant fine dining restaurant that has a laid-back ambience. Full menu is offered here for families and friends to choose from.
• Apres Jack is a good example of sumptuous food, excellent service, and wonderful entertainment music, all rolled into one.
• Barcelona Tapas & Restaurant serves the famous Tapa menus of Spain.
An Indianapolis vacation is never complete if you have not set your foot on these bars and lounges in this sporty city. Find out how locals spend their nights while enjoying a glass of cold beer and their favorite sporting event. You can have a great shake on the dance floor and see how local DJs provide great musical mixes for foreign crowd. You can have any kind of nightly entertainment from these choices and more. There is nothing to get bored about while visiting Indianapolis. You may even find a new friend around.

When putting your home on the Indianapolis real estate market, there are plenty of things you can do to make your property desirable. Keep in mind, there are hundreds of potential homes for sale at any given time, so it’s up to you to make your stand out in any way you can. While adding as room or replacing the roof might be a bit extreme, there are some simple things you can do to make your home a sure sell.
First off, there are plenty of drab homes on the Indianapolis real estate market, so why not paint yours? A fresh coat of paint takes the work out of the buyer’s hands and makes the home seem fresh and new. Don’t be afraid to get bold with your choices, and try to give each room its own personality through color. The worst that could happen is that you have to offer to repaint a room, and if that’s what it takes to sell your home, then that’s what it takes.
Another trick you can use to make your Indianapolis real estate more desirable is to change your door handles. Door handles run about $40 a piece, but when looking at a home, it’s the subtle things like this that tend to stand out. Consider how much nice a car looks when you put new hubcaps on it; your doors will behave the same way. Plus, the cost of replacing one door can be as high as $200, and that’s not counting the cost of the handle. Your home will look newer and cleaner, and the most it will take is a days worth of replacements.
A third trick is to redo your bathrooms. This doesn’t mean going through and completely revamping everything, but something as simple as putting in matching shower towel racks, toilet paper hangers and toilet seats can add a style and rhythm to your rooms. This can also give the appearance of newness without having to do anything major, like replace the tub or toilet.
Another quick home trick for sprucing up your Indianapolis real estate is to put in new curtain rods. You’ll probably show the home bare, but curtains or curtain rods are acceptable, and having something modern and clean in place can lend to the general cheeriness of the property. Make sure that it has a warm feeling, and your clients will be more inclined to buy.
A final trick is to tend the yard. For $80-$150, most landscaping companies will aerate or seed your lawn, and some will also apply week killer and fertilizer to give your yard a rich, healthy look. A healthy yard says that your Indianapolis real estate is a solid buy, because if you’ve tended to the yard, obviously you must have tended to the rest of the property.
There are plenty of tips and tricks for people looking to sell on the Indianapolis real estate market, you just have to make sure that the ones you choose lend to the value of your home. IN the end, you only need to do enough to sell the house, but be sure to make what you do count.