One of my favorite real estate investing stories is about a man in California who used to just send out offers on a hundred MLS listings at a time. He never looked at the properties. He just offered 25% less than the asking price on each one, trusting tha...

Behavioral economics is a new science that sheds light on some of our most important decisions. It is the study of how and why people make money-related choices. Here are some of the things the studies have shown thus far: Decision Paralysis One stu...

Part 2 More of the findings of the recent studies in behavioral economics: Webers Law A change of stimulus is more emotional and motivational, according to the base: Most subjects tested would drive across town to save $10 on a $20 item, for ex...

When you think of frugal living, do you think it means being miserable, or giving up what you want? If so, you are thinking about it all wrong. Frugality is simply the practice of looking for the less expensive alternatives. Buy things for less, and what ...

Here are some new product ideas for things yet to be invented, or innovations yet to be tried. Why don't you be the inventor or innovator? Help yourself. There are no patents on the following ideas as far as I know - but do your patent research, of course...

There are hundreds of good house selling tips that can help you when the time comes to put that sign in the yard. Some are more important than others though. Here are three of the most important points. 1. Understand Value. Your home is not worth more...

I was young and wanted some way to make extra money - something other than another fast food job. A friend of the family owned a small insurance agency. The owner decided to get into the business of process serving, and I applied for the job. Tracking peo...

It's easy to find a real estate agent. Just put a for sale sign in the yard and wait for the phone to ring. The question is, how do you find a GOOD real estate agent? You can start with newspaper. Pick up the Saturday or Sunday paper - whichever day th...

Is debt consolidation really necessary? Perhaps. It certainly can seem like the easy way out of the problem of too many payments every month. When credit card and loan payments add up to $900 every month, why not pay all of these debts off and have a nice...

People sell real estate notes to raise cash quickly. A real estate note is just the loan document created when you financed the sale of your house or investment property. It could be a mortgage note, or a land-contract or contract-for-sale. The point is t...

Is it really that important to raise your credit score? Maybe. Lenders have "break points" between scores that get you one interest rate or another. Suppose you have a score of 688, and the lender drops the mortgage rate by .5% at 690. Those two points ca...

No money down may mean no down payment. That's what most people think it means. A seller actually agreeing to get nothing at closing is rare, though. Most sellers need something as a down payment. They want a little bit to show for the sale, and may even ...

Real estate research might start with a look at the U.S. Census information about a town. It can include inspections of specific properties, too. There are many statical tools and information that can help, but don't forget one of the easiest and most use...

Motivated sellers? My wife and I were trying to keep the renters happy, the rent coming in and the house repaired - while living 2100 miles away. You bet I was motivated. We just sold our house last month, and even got a good price, but I'll tell you a se...

Buying real estate can start with a look in the newspaper, a visit to a broker, or a search online. These are all good ways to find your next investment property. You're looking at the same properties as every other investor, of course, so it's not always...