Monthly Archives: June 2015

E35 Michael Quarles – Some Tips on How to Market and Find Winning Investment Properties

Posted on by
Reply

Don’t miss a single show!

Get the Invest Florida Show Mobile App! Click here—-> Apple Android

2979 For new investors, marketing to potential investment opportunities is never the easiest part or most enjoyable part of building a strong and successful investment base. Even for seasoned investors, it can be difficult to maintain a steady level of return in increasingly competitive markets. In Florida large, multi-family market areas, including Tampa and Miami have recently seen a decrease in number of closings on property transactions.

As founder the largest direct-mail marketing site in the nation YellowLetters.com, Michael Quarles is an expert in the field of marketing and with over 1000 real estate deals under his belt, he can provide invaluable insight and tips on how to market and find winning investment properties. He shares with us some tried and tested marketing strategies proven to boost number of returns on investments.

  • Marketing is “oxygen and water” for business
  • Cast a wide net: Cluster Marketing offers greater returns
    • Bandit Signs
    • Direct-mailing
    • Cold Calling/Cold Greeting
    • Billboards
    • Car-Wraps
    • Radio/TV/Newspaper
  • Direct-Mailing is an effective marketing strategy
    • Variety of mailings available
      1. Yellow Letters – formatted to appear as handwritten notes
      2. Small/Large-Text Postcards
      3. Professional Letter
      4. Greeting Cards – sent in line with corresponding holidays
      5. Zip Letter – formatted to appear as government checks
  • Market to properties that hold sufficient equity-base
  • When marketing to commercial investments, use professionally drafted letters or professional ad-copy
  • Michael’s Tips for Successful Marketing:
    • Be Persistent
    • Be Consistent
    • Know and Employ Predictable Marketing Strategies
    • Negotiate Effectively

To find out more about the variety of direct-mail pieces available, visit: YellowLetters.com

Michael also has a blog where he offers advice and mentorship for investors who want to “stop investing passively and start investing massively!”

 

 

E34 Wesley Burdette – How He Progressed from Single-Family Flipper in to Multi-Family Development

Posted on by
Reply

Don’t miss a single show!

Get the Invest Florida Show Mobile App! Click here—-> Apple Android

318084_536836776336108_1099953190_nWesley Burdette has always had a hand in real estate investing, however he began on the lending side in the Washington D.C./metro area. From lending he moved towards single-family residential flipping with his sights set on the Florida real estate markets. After finding success in the single-family markets, Wesley endeavored into real estate development and now has several projects in progress in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, notably a 46 unit loft-living complex, The Warehouse as well as four new townhouses.

Wesley joins us to discuss his transition from flipper to developer and covers key tips for investing in the Florida real estate markets along with advice on how to diversify your investments and foray into larger investment markets.

  • Know Your Market
    • Research the areas you are considering investing in
    • Understand consumer psyche – what do people want in a home?
    • Know your contractors, work closely with them
    • Millennial Markets on the rise: Seminole Heights
  • Budget
    • Know what you can afford
    • House-flipping is all about initial buy
    • Cost structure
      • Adaptive reuse (commercial, multi-family)
      • Infrastructure (basic repairs)

Wesley’s Tips:

  • Perseverance is key.
  • Entering into investment real estate can be intimidating, but with determination and the proper know-how you can find success.
  • Be careful with your investments. Don’t get locked into something uncertain

If you are interested in investing in the Seminole Heights area or just looking for some local urban flavor, check out: The Rooster and the Till or The Refinery

To view pictures of Wesley’s multi-family development project, The Warehouse, click here.

Visit the Page on Facebook

Wesley can also be contacted directly at: wburdett1@yahoo.com

 

 

 

 

Ep 33 – Atty John McMillan Talks Florida Evictions and Protected Classes

Posted on by
Reply

Don’t miss a single show!

Get the Invest Florida Show Mobile App! Click here—-> Apple Android

For residential investors and property owners, especially those who wish to remain hands-off owners, assuming the role of landlord can be costly and strenuous for those unfamiliar with the practice of it. This is often made more difficult when undergoing tenant evictions. Confronting the near labyrinthine due process of law during evictions suits can prove a daunting task for even the most seasoned landlords.

Attorney John McMillan stops by this week to discuss evictions processes in residential real estate bayline-coverproperties and covers things to know in order to be a confident and successful property owner. With nearly 40 years of experience representing landlords, he brings with him insightful and educational resources to provide investors and owners with the knowledge and capabilities of being competent landlords. He provides the know-how to properly manage your properties and tenants, especially when handling evictions.

 

  • Florida evictions typically reached in 4-5 weeks
    • $15k properties filed in County Civil (most residential)
    • $15k or over properties filed in Circuit Civil
  • Costs of evictions
    • Filing fee – $198 + $10 for each addtl tenant
    • Svc. of Process – $45/ tenant
    • Atty. fees between $150-500
    • Extra costs for hearings and writs of possession
  • Know your rights as a landlord
    • Know service of process for evictions
    • No limit on lease length
      • longer than 1yr, leases must be subscribed under landlord by 2 witnesses
      • leases under 6 mths. subjected to sales tax in FL
  • Well-written leases are key
    • Thorough
    • Plain-English…you and your tenant should know and understand what is in the lease
    • Address potential issues in lease
  • Know your tenants’ rights
    • Fair Debt Collection Act
    • Fair Housing Act
      • Cannot discriminate against race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap, familial status (Protected Classes)
      • County specific classes added: Hillsborough County – age, sexual orientation, sexual identity and marital status
      • Federally-subsidized housing (Sect. 8)

For more information about landlord rights and eviction processes, contact John’s office here or by calling 813-988-5135

For lease templates and information on required language contact John directly at John@JohneMcMillan.com

 

 

Ep 32 Daren Blomquist – What Are the Hot Florida Markets?

Posted on by
Reply

Don’t miss a single show!

Get the Invest Florida Show Mobile App! Click here—-> Apple Android

Investors and consumers alike are aware of the changes occurring in the Florida real estate climate. Clearly, there has been a marked shift away from the colossal fallout that came with the 2008 economic downturn, but what are the new trends emerging in Florida real estate markets? What can investors look for as the new, hot Florida markets?

headshot_daren_blomquistDaren Blomquist joins us to discuss these changing markets and what investors and potential investors may want to look out for. As Vice President of RealtyTrac, Daren has nearly 15 years of experience in real estate data collection and analysis. Although initially specializing in Foreclosure data collection, RealtyTrac has expanded its scope to encompass a more holistic approach, collecting data on wide-ranging varieties of real estate markets and empowering consumers, developers and investors with the resources and information on market trends.

In Florida markets, Daren indicates several trends and potential trends that are currently forming in real estate. As Florida is still on the recovery from the massive flood of foreclosures following the 2008 economic downturn, there are many hot markets stemming from these foreclosures. Potential markets are also being projected based on consumer trends following the recession; there has been a paradigm shift overall away from traditional home ownership.

  • Despite dramatic decreases, Florida remains top-ranking in foreclosure rates
    • Jacksonville (Duval County) highest in FL
    • Tampa (Hillsborough County) 2nd
    • Daytona Beach (Volusia County) 3rd
  • Decrease in home ownership
    • roughly 5 million age 35 and under not owning
    • roughly 7 million age 35-45 not owning
    • shift towards rentals
  • Cash sales constitute 53% residential property sales
  • Multi-family markets on upturn
    • 2-4 units and 5+ up roughly 7% annually
    • 5+ units up 15%
  • House-flipping remains active in FL on foreclosure-centric areas
    • Ocala sees 13% increase in single-family house-flipping
    • Miami, Tampa account for high flip rates
    • “Responsible Flipping”
  • Hot-spots for rent increase rates (above HUD fair-market data average)
    • Citrus County – 3%
    • Polk, Bay, Volusia – 3%
    • Brevard, Okaloosa, Alachua – 2%

To find out more from RealtyTrac or to view recent reports, visit:

realtytrac.com/news

For foreclosure and other market trends, visit

realtytrac.com/trendcenter

Investors and developers can find resources and information by visiting:

mega.realtytrac.com

Subscribe to RealtyTrac for even more info!

 

EP 31 – More Flood Insurance Changes

Posted on by
Reply

Don’t miss a single show!

Get the Invest Florida Show Mobile App! Click here—-> Apple Android

When weighing projected costs for potential and current real estate investments, it is important to consider how to insure your investment as well as costs associated with that. In Florida, flood insurance for your property represents a significant facet to consider. Recently, Florida has undergone major changes in regards to insurance legislation which has had a dramatic effect on flood insurance requirements.

The Biggert-Waters Act, passed in 2012 ushered in major changes to flood insurance requirements and affordability. As a response to a budget deficit, Congress passed this law that took a drastic approach to the standing National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) parameters, notably, introducing a substantial hike in policy rates to take place within a year. The bill, now amended as the Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014, has extended the previous deadline of one year to an incremental increase over four to five years.

1375803_652667644773256_1050066793_n

Chris Coleman of Coleman Insurance Agency based in Dunedin,FL discusses provides expert insight on changes that are occurring in flood insurance affordability and how you can manage your real estate investments under these new                 conditions.

 

 

 

Chris can be reached at:

1255 Belcher Road

Dunedin, FL 34698

Phone: 727-239-4971

You can also find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/coleman.insurance.agency.cia/timeline?ref=page_internal

  • Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014
    • Changes Implemented Apr. 1, 2015
    • Amended Prior Biggert-Waters Act of 2012
    • Flood-zones Remapped
  • Introduces incremental price-hikes on all new/renew policies over 4-5 yrs.
    • 18% cap on residential
    • 25% cap on commercial
  • Changes to Deductible Limits
    • Limit Increased from $5k to $10k
    • Separate deductibles for building and contents (possible deductible up to $20k)
  • Be informed, know how to save
    • Opting for premium deductible may offer rate discount (up to 30%)
    • “Flood-proofing” property may decrease rates up to 70%