Have You Checked Your Credit Lately

     I know people don't want to even talk about credit reports, let alone contacting companies to see where we stand. It's like every month when we go to the mailbox and we see these bills, we just hesitate to open them because we hate to see what the amount is (I know I'm not the only one). There maybe some things that you need to clear up on your report or maybe some things that do not belong to you. No matter the case, you will eventually come face to face with seeing exactly what your credit report is whether you want to buy a house, buy a car, even get a job nowadays.

So let's stop procrastinating, contact the credit companies, and take care of our business. Life feels so much better when we have clarity.

Til next time,
JC

Should you Refinance your Home?

      That's a question that I struggle with a lot. I heard different things about refinancing but, was not sure if it was right for me. I finally decided to stop asking other people and reach out to a professional. I contacted a friend of mine William Gray and he is helping to point me in the right direction. My interest rate on my home is 5.3% and if the numbers make sense, my rate will go down to 3.5% which will lower my payments. My mentors always tell me to surround myself with people that know more and have more so, I am practicing what I am taught. Here is his information below:

Gray Financial
William Gray
443-324-6001

Til next time,

JC

What's In Your Survival Kit?

Have you even started it? I am not all the way prepared either. I started to buy extra items when they were on sale just to start stocking up my survival kit. Now, my co-worker asked me "You plan on going underground or something lol, why in the world would you need a survival kit?" I told her that you never know what you will need until that time comes and you regret not preparing. Do you think the victims on Katrina thought to be prepare? How about the people that suffered from the storms in NY, NJ, DE, and MD. I'm sure it would have been nice to have a backpack ready to go with essential items you need in case you have to either stay indoors or hurry to leave outdoors. This may not be too important to some right now but, I guarantee that for everyone that reads this blog (who may think this isn't important) you will remember this if and when the time comes.

Here is a picture of a start of some survival items that I have stored so far:

It's not much but, its a start

Til next time,

JC

How Can You Handle a Power Outage?

    In this day and time it seems as though mother nature is not to happy with us and we are experiencing disasterous weather like never before. As disasterous weather comes, so goes the power. Many believe that stocking up and having a backup plan is the least of their worries but, it is better to be safe than to be sorry. I live in MD and we had a storm on one of the hottest weeks in the summer. I lost power for three days and may I just say that I was not a happy camper. I did have other family and friends homes to go to but, there is no place like YOUR HOME......and having food go to waste is not fun either. A friend of mine told me about a way to have power with buying a generator (which can cause CO2 poisoning).

"During a power outage you can plug your toasters, dual burners, tv's, cell chargers, laptops, etc into the power inverter and plug that into your car to power your small devices. For example, most electric dual burners (hot plates) are 120...

0 - 1800 watts. So When you buy a dual burner, and the power goes out, you can plug your dual burner into this 2000 watt power inverter, and plug this inverter into your car, and still cook, boil water, etc.
 The inverter in this image runs from $169-249. It's much cheaper if you order online."

Michael M.

 

It's better to be over prepared then, under prepared.

 

Til next time,

 

JC

 

Is There Too Much Money Going Out of Your Household

Have we ever really thought it. Let's do that for a second:

How much do we spend on our cable bill?
How many times do we order out in a week?
How much do we spend on our clothing/shopping habit?
How many toys do we buy for our household (i.e speaker systems, TVs, etc)?

One last question...............How much do we save each month?

       Now, I know that last question is a but touchy because a lot of us think that we cannot save. But, I must say I speak with people everyday in my profession that has a entertainment bill every month with all the movie channels, 2 or more recording devices, and other features that we don't need. We say "But, I need those because there is nothing else on TV."  How did we survive when we only had 13 channels on a TV without a remote? We can do it. How many books to we read to elevate our mind? There are ways to try to save money, we just have to be open about our options.

Can we really be honest about what we want versus what we need?

Til next time,

JC

What Insurance Companies Don't Want You to Know

   ................that you DO need coverage for water damage. That is one of the mistakes I made when I got home-owner's insurance. I thought I asked all the right questions about the coverage I needed, including flood coverage. I was told by the agent that flood coverage is not covered in a basic policy and you have to get that separately but, if your home is not a flood prone area then, it is unnecessary because if it is something major then, FEMA (federal government) or MEMA (state government) provides assistance. Now, I'm not trying to down the government (well, actually I am) but, we all seen how the situation with Hurricane Katrina went down (that doesn't give me much faith that I will receive help). Now, what the insurance agent did not tell me was that I should have gotten water damage coverage. This can help you in case your sump pump overflows, it shuts off due to power outage, a toilet flood an area of the home, etc. So don't let them get off the phone without talking about water damage coverage. Do the research to avoid regretting it in the long run.


Til next time,

JC

Do You Want the Easy Way and the Hard Way

    What are you referring to might I ask? Well selling your home of course. Now in this market it is so hard to sell a home and it is so competitive because this is a buyers market. Now you can work harder to increase the chance of selling your home buy fixing everything that's wrong, making your home unique, and adding features that sellers are looking for. Or, the other option is to sell your home fast to a cash buyer, with a discounted offer, and not putting in that extra money into the home that may or may not pay off.


The choice is yours
Call me today
410-929-0049

Til next time,

JC

Should You Pay off Your Mortgage Early?

  Some may say it's a good idea and others may say it's not. I think it all depends on whether or not you plan to stay in your home permanently. As far as my plans go, I don't plan to live in my home for the whole 30 years. I consider my home a "starter home" so, paying off my mortgage early would not fit for me unless I can generate money to pay my mortgage in full and maybe, rent it out in the future.  This may also be the case for a lot of other people because they plan on upgrading, starting a family, or increasing the size of their family, so their current home does not fit that criteria. For others, there are people that are ready to retire, are already living in their desired home, or have plans to pay off the home and rent it out in the future. No matter what the scenario is, you have to decide what works best for you and come up with a plan to make that happen.  Here is a link to an article to help you decide what works best for you and calculate how much extra you need to pay a month to pay your mortgage off early.

http://www.free-online-calculator-use.com/early-payoff-mortgage-calculator.html

Til next time,

JC 

Tenants have Rights Too..........

     I know we hear a lot about landlords being frustrated with their tenants but, let's not forget that tenants get frustrated too. Why you ask? Well, some landlords just dont' know how to be landlords, they only care about the money, or they have bad property managers. Some important things that you have to be sure takes place when you are tenants are:

* Make sure you fix any problems with the property (be proactive to save money)

* check your zoning for the property (make sure it does not change)

* Pay all bills on the property on time (i.e. tax bills, mortgages, employees, etc)

This is a great article to help you understands ways to prevent a frustrated:

http://www.tenanthelp.com.au/wa/EndingtheTenancyWhentheAgreementBecomesFrustrated/


Til next time,

JC

Features Buyers Want in a Home

 Now I am no expert but, I do know a thing or two of what a buyer wants in a home. When I purchased my home, the most important thing to me was having a renovated property (less repairs, most likely to pass inspection), hardwood floors, and a quiet neighborhood.  These things may not be important to someone else trying to purchase a home but, this is was what I required. I start to thinking "what do most people want in a home?" so I did a search on google and checked to see what features are important to others. This article pretty much summed up what a lot of people want:

http://decoratingdivas.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/top-10-home-features-buyers-want/

Now what stuck out for me was the storage space. Is it me or does every home built before 1990 made it seem as though every buyer had very little clothes to where? I can not figure out why the closets where made so small. So, whether you are fixing up your home to sell or doing a full renovation, closet space is key.

Remember, no storage space means the Queen of the home will fill every closet upstairs while, everyone else clothes in the home will be in the basement lol


Til next time,

JC

Use Your Network To Your Advantage

Do we know who we have surrounding us? A lot of times it's not that we don't know, we just don't ask.  I remember when I first decided that I was serious about getting into real estate, I found out my Aunt worked with mortgage loans some time ago and my Uncle is a home inspector. These are things that I never thought about before. Knowing that the people you love and surround you everyday is connected to the information you need is powerful.  Some people could have contractors, property managers, loan officers, credit specialist, and even decorators at your disposal. You will never know until you ask. I personally had to start asking once I bought my home because house work and repair is not cheap at all. The lesson I learned and that I wanted to share is.......word of mouth is powerful.  If you trust your circle around you (which you should be able to), see how you can work together because 2 heads are always better than one.



Til next time,

JC

Being Proactive is Better than being Reactive

...........especially when it comes to your property. I learned this first hand when I first moved into my home.  My home didn't have a sump pump but, I knew I needed to buy one eventually. I kept stalling and procrastinating thinking "How likely is it for my basement to flood?" That's a question that I got the answer to in August of 2010.  That's when we had the major rainstorm and when it was over my basement had a foot of water. I didn' know what to do.....I never had to deal with this issues so, needless to say I was instantly stressed. After I spent hours cleaning most of the water out with a wet/dry vacuum that I rented, I called the insurance company. Long story short, I purchased a sump pump right after, got a contractor to do mold remediation, and put down new carpet. It was a hard road, but I indeed learned my lesson.  Having a sump pump won't necessarily mean your basement won't ever flood again (power outages can affect it working) but, it will prevent you from learning the lesson I had too.

Be proactive, not reactive

Til next time,

JC

Their Ugly House...............

OK, it does look bad I admit but, you don't have to let that property stress you out. There are quite a bit of people who inherit homes, move to another state, have bad tenants, and rack up bills on their home (tax liens, code enforcement,etc.). This is not the end of the world though. You CAN still get from under these properties, make a profit, and release that stress you have been carrying around. I have people that tell me "you don't want my house, it's a mess and it needs a lot of work" that's the property I want the most. I love to see the process of a home going from rag to riches lol. So, now that you know that I will make an offer on ANY property, give me a call today 410-929-0049. I promise an offer in 24-48 hours.

Til next time,

JC

Why Getting Cash For Your Home Works Better.....

     There is a lot of buzz about the benefits to getting cash for your home. To keep it simple, here are a some facts:

1. Cash on hand means closing faster

2. Your not waiting on a bank to approve a loan

3. You can pay your house bills fast to avoid losing the property.

Here is an article I cam across as well: http://voices.yahoo.com/selling-house-cash-private-real-estate-investors-2798236.html

These are only a few facts of why more people are moving to sell their home to cash buyers rather than waiting on a buyer that has to get a bank loan. Now of course you would need to have some equity in your home in order to sell this fast. But, don't give up so easily.......it is always best to check into your options instead of assuming your home is not worth anything.

So, you can stop reading this email and contact me now to get a quote on your property 410-929-0049.



What are you thinking about.........................................click the X above and call me NOW. I look forward to hearing from you.


Til next time,

JC

Do You Know Someone That is Behind on Their House Payments?

     Does this sound like you or someone you know? Then, you are reading this blog at the right time. There are so many people that are behind on their tax bills, citations, tenants not paying rent, etc. I can help. I specialize in helping people get from under the debt in their home by purchasing the property (for cash) and you will be able to pay your bills and put some extra money in your pocket.

Contact me today
410-929-0049
JDC Investments

How can Zip Realty help you?

     Many people get nervous when it is time to purchase your first home or even buying a home period. One of the first steps in buying or selling a home is choosing which company to go with. Before you say "well, I know a real estate agent", or "ill go with the most popular company"....let me know you why Zip Realty is the best company for you. Zip Realty is one on the top companies leading in technology which means more marketing opportunities to present your home to the masses and present more home for you to preview before you go to see them. Here is a quote from the company:

"ZipRealty is a leading national provider of proprietary technology and online marketing capabilities in the residential real estate brokerage industry. For home buyers and sellers who increasingly demand control, choice and seamless, customized service, the Company offers Internet-enabled, state-of-the-art technology and access to information that real estate professionals can combine with their own local knowledge and personal expertise to offer an exceptional start-to-finish experience to their clients. For real estate professionals who seek more productive ways to conduct business in their fiercely competitive industry, the Company provides technology and online marketing tools to enhance their online sales channel, including the attraction, incubation and service of their clients." (phx.corporate-ir.net)

Look no further for a real estate agent, I'm here for you. Here is my information to reach me:

Jay Cooper
REALTOR (R)
ZipRealty, Inc.
jay.cooper@ziprealty.com
1.800 CALL ZIP x 5044
Cell: 443.813.4248
Fax: 888.482.2750
My Profile: http://www.ziprealty.com/agent/jcooper

Til next time,

JC

Estimating Rehab Costs

     On thing that is important to know about getting into rehabbing a home is knowing what the construction costs are. It can be difficult to know the exact costs because things can be revealed during the whole rehab process but, it is best to get an estimate before going all into a property. Here is an article I read about rehabbing:

http://www.creonline.com/rehabbing-houses-part-three.html

In order to know how much you should pay for the home before you purchase it is based on 3 steps:

1. Calculate the value of homes in that area.
2. Calculate the repair costs
3. Calculate the equity you want in the property

Ex: 100,000 (market value)
    -   20,000 (repairs)
    -   20,000 (80% equity)
        60,000 (purchase price)

Til next time,

JC

If Selling Your Home for Cash doesn't Work for You, Hire a Realtor!!!

There are times where selling a home for cash may not be the best option for you:

1. You have very little equity in your home

2. The discounted price would not cover your expenses with closing on your home.

3. You have no repairs that are needed and can make better getting full value

These are reason where a real estate agent will come into play. Now, I know you are thinking....Aren't realtor companies expensive. Answer: Not at all. The commission rates are negiotable and you may need a real estate agent that can connect you with buyers, negiotitate for you, answer any questions you may have in the closing process, and help you find out the market values in your area. Here is a great article to read further:

http://homebuying.about.com/od/realestateagents/tp/Whyhireagent.htm

I thing you should consider is that you need a agent you can trust and know the pressures of the home buying experience. If that is what you are looking for, feel free to reach me:

Jay Cooper
REALTOR (R)
ZipRealty, Inc.
jay.cooper@ziprealty.com
1.800 CALL ZIP x 5044
Cell: 443.813.4248
Fax: 888.482.2750
My Profile: http://www.ziprealty.com/agent/jcooper

Pre-Approval is not as Scary as it Seems

     One of the first things you need to do when you are looking to purchase a home is to get approved for a home loan. Most buyers are very nervous to go through this process because they are faced with learning where their finances really are and how much home they can afford.  Don't worry, this is a normal feeling. I think (matter of fact) I know that when I purchased my first home, I was afraid that I would not get pre-approved for a loan because of the bad marks I had in the past. Once I decided that I would never know how to go forward if I didn't know where I stood now then, I would never purchase a home.

    As it turns out, the experience was not as bad as I made it out to be. The loan officer did a brief run of my credit report, went over what underwriters look for, and started telling me about the process I felt so much better. Now, you should take care of any recent marks on your credit report and make sure you are paying all of your bills on time to prove to have what ti takes to purchase and maintain a home.  Some good advice I got from my realtor at the time was that the first place you should see about getting a home loan is the company you are currently banking with.

Here is a good site to check into further: http://resources.realdirect.com/selling-techniques/seller-financing-what-home-sellers-need-to-know/

Til next time,
JC

Maintaining your home

When you buy your home, do you really put a lot of thought into how you are going to maintain it?.........neither did I. This is something I had to learn quickly. Buying my first home was the best feeling in the world and what brought me so much joy was that the Money I'm paying goes towards something I will own one day.

    I bought my first home in March 2010. After a few months I realized " hmmm, my grass is starting to really grow, I need to have that cut." Problem was.....I didn't have a lawn mover. I didn't want to look like the new neighbor that made the neighborhood look bad because she didn't grow her grass lol so, I had to start searching for a person to cut my grass. After 2 days and outrageous quotes (I thought) I still didn't have a person to do it and my grass my getting higher and higher. My Dad told me several times he would cut it but, I knew my home would be passed down to my grandchildren by the time he got around to it lol. Luckily a man knocked on my door the next day (apparently the neighborhood grass cutter) and asked could he cut my grass every week for $20 dollars. Needless to say I was so relieved and told him I would gladly pay him right now to get started. This is one of the many things it takes to maintain a home.

Moral of the story is......get a handyman, plumber, and a Lowes gift card and keep it on hand, ready to go :)

Here is another article that would help as well.

www.mgichome.com/homeowner/maintaining.html

Til next time,
JC      

I Voted For This Person.............

ME.

That's right. I vote for myself each and every day to make the best out of a bad situation. It can be done. I had a conversation today (and Ill leave her name out for privacy). Who was telling me about a situation and here is how it went:

Me: How was your weekend

Jane Doe: Girl, you dont even want to know. I was all ready to go out saturday with my girls after a hard, long week at work and when I went to withdraw money out my business account, it said "insufficent funds"

Me: Wow, you didnt deposit any money?

Jane Doe: I wasn't supposed to, my tenant is suppose to deposit her rent in my account every month. This is the sixth time this has happened. Now, I have to pay the taxes out my check this month.

Me: Soooo, why is she still in your home? Why not sell the property since you hate being in real estate and your behind on bills?

Jane Doe: I cant, my mom left me the property when she died so, I am obligated to keep it.


Now, do we think that our parents, friends, family, etc would want us to deal with this kind of stress on a daily basis. I think not. You should not be into something that you hate because it will never make you happy and end up affecting you and your health. YES, stress affects your health. Now, I told her with the equity she had, she could sell the property and make about 46,000 after paying bills and re-invest that money into something that wont require so much of her time.

Sometimes regardless of how the world and the economy is doing, you have to vote for you. Whatever is in your life that creates havoc, it is best sometimes to eliminate it from your life whether it is frustrating tenants, negative people, or a bad environment.

VOTE FOR YOU

Til next time
JC

JDC Investments
410-929-0049

Is Selling Your Home for Cash that Simple?

Thats a great question. I know its hard to believe that someone will pay cash for you home FAST and relieve you of all the stress you encountered from your distressed property but, its true. There is a simple 5 step process that some friends of mine broke down very easily for you just check this site out:

http://www.apnhomebuyers.com/what_we_do.html

Still dont believe it, here is a testimonial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIYcfM15Qxo

There are people out there that are willing to help you out of your situation, you only have to ask and you shall receive.

Feel free to call me when you need me
410-929-0049
JDC Investments

P.S. Im only one call away

JC

Do You Need A Property Management Company?

    If you are a looking to rent a property or you have a vacant property your looking to rent your property then, maybe you do. There are so many people that jump at the chance to buy a property to create that extra income but, there are so many things you need to consider.

Do you have a handyman on call?

Do you want all your tenants to reach you directly?

How are you going to collect your rent?

What are you going to do if the tenant stops paying?

These are all the things you need to consider before you jump on the wagon to being a landlord. Now there is a way around these issues: Hire a property a management company, even though you give up a part of the rental income, it beats having all these hassles. Check this article out:

http://www.managemyproperty.com/articles/what-are-the-benefits-of-using-a-property-management-company-9

Do you like being a landlord???

I spoke to a family member that told me "I hate being a landlord...... why can't I have good, paying tenants?!?!

My answer: You've been dealing with this for several years, why not sell the property and start a roth IRA for retirement.........

See, some people think that when they are left properties by divorce, inheritance, or just having the properties for so long, that they would be doing the wrong thing by selling the property. Why stress yourself??? There are benefits to selling your property instead of dealing with frustrating tenants that cause you to get gray hair lol. There are cash investors out there that will give you cash for your property and close fast. The faster you sell the property, the faster you can dye your hair backs to its natural color and act as though you never allowed yourself to get frustrated over that tenant.

Here is a great article I found about being a landlord:
http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=20619924

So, here's the solution:
Call me NOW 410-929-0049
I will buy your home, give you the cash you need FAST, and a complimentary box of hair dye lol.

Sell your home for cash in Maryland

Do you need to sell now?
Do you need cash on hand?
Are you a frustrated landlord?
Do you need to sell your home fast for any reason?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then, you have reached the right place. Many property owners are suffering in this economy and they need to sell their home fast. This can be done, you just need to know what steps cash investors take to buy a home fast:

1.  Getting fair market value for an All Cash Deal, is very unlikely. Investors want to buy properties with equity so, if they give you fair market value then, it is very little benefit to them.

2. Get an idea of the repairs that you need done. Updating cosmetics (painting, updating floors, kitchen upgrades, etc) all comes with a cost. The cash investor will calculate these costs to see what the repair costs are.

3. What is the after repair value of your home? The fair market value is the price that similar homes in your area are selling for at the time. Example: You have a 3 bedroom, 1 bath property where similar homes are selling for 100,000. 

4. Know what other options you have. If you are looking for a little more than what investors are asking for then, you can do the deal with certain terms. Example: 20,000 on the home now and 10,000 after the investor has rehabbed the property and sold it.

For more information on how cash investors buy homes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrennan/2011/11/16/the-benefits-of-buying-a-home-with-cash/



For more information on cash inv