Jul 2011 27
Bad Buildings and Worse Neighborhoods
In our search for a bank repossessed property we are quickly discovering that most of the property currently owned by banks in Madrid is not in good buildings,...
Jul 2011 21
Back in the hunt
Years, months, and days much later I finally have something to say. We have begun work on our second company, the equivalent of an LLC for property...
Jun 2010 3
Tips on Getting a Good Mortgage
The first tip of finding a good mortgage is a no brainer, shop around! Loan officers can change offers frequently so it’s a good idea to see as...
May 2010 28
Commercial Real Estate is Dying
On my way to the gym each morning I take notice of the commercial property on the street. It seems like every single day a new ‘for rent’...
May 2010 21
Housing Starts in the News
“Housing starts” are kind of just what it sounds like, houses being started. It’s the number of new houses in construction. Every unit (house, apartment, condo, whatever) is...
May 2010 20
People Walking Away From Mortgages
I heard some time ago that in the US you were not obligated to pay your mortgage debt if you defaulted and the bank took the property back....
May 2010 16
FICO scores and mortgage loans
FICO comes from Fair Isaac Corporation, a company who created a system for measuring someone’s credit worthiness. FICO is always an important factor banks (in the US) take into...
May 2010 16
Out of Control Subprime Lending
This is such a great example of how out of control mortgage lending became the past few years. In Bakersfield, California a non-english speaking mexican strawberry picker with an...
Dec 2009 2
Real Estate Concepts: Compound Interest
Every investor needs to know the value of his portfolio at different periods. Before starting a venture, he wants to know how much will he earn...
Dec 2009 1
Real Estate Concepts: Simple Interest
Quite a number of millionaires have made their names in the real estate arena. Names like Spencer Strauss, Donald Trump, Kevin Myers, Bill Tappan, Jeffrey Taylor, Jane...