1. KNOW THE AREA

It is not just about the house you want to buy but also the area. Focus on buying homes in an area that holds value and where homes sell quickly. The golden rule of a home, location, location, location, applies here as you will want the home to be able to be sold quickly. Get to know the average costs and days on market for homes in that area. The more information you have about the market you have chosen, the better decisions you can usually make when it comes time to buy.

2. DO NOT GET EMOTIONAL

This is a business venture; your goal is to make money. Emotions and money rarely mix well. Do not get emotional about house flipping. When choosing colors, fixtures and carpets go neutral, you will not be living in the home. Be careful of becoming too attached to the flip. Choose a price to sell the home, do not overprice the home. Overpricing typically leads to you holding the flip longer thus reducing your profit.

3. KNOW YOUR LIMITS

If you are new to flipping homes, it is important to know your financial and work limits. The budget will always be more than you anticipate, plan for unexpected problems. Start with homes that mainly have cosmetic problems. Look for houses that need new, modern paint or updated fixtures. Homes where the outside yard and landscaping are unappealing are usually a great buy and can yield more profit. Curb appeal is usually a problem that can be fixed very easily and relatively inexpensively while greatly increasing the value of the home.

4. HAVE AN EXIT STRATEGY

The point of flipping is to get in and out as quick as possible. Every day that you own the homes costs you money. Have a plan and know exactly what you’re going to do with the home before you buy. Make a schedule of when work will get done and drop dead date of the house going back on the market. If you don’t know if you can sell it quickly, don’t buy it.

This property features 5 total rooms, 1 full bath, 1 half bath, 2 bedrooms, and is currently available for $1,700.

For complete details click here.

This is a Colonial style home and features 8 total rooms, 2 full baths, 1 half bath, 4 bedrooms, 0.53 Acres, and is currently available for $549,900.

For complete details click here.

There are many reasons why people go into foreclosure. Some of those reasons include:

• Job loss
• Unexpected death, illness or medical emergency
• Adjustable rate mortgage increase
• Unexpected home maintenance expense

There are ways to avoid foreclosure. The best way to avoid foreclosure is to prevent the filing of a Notice of Default. If a home owner knows they are unable to pay their mortgage they should immediately call their lender.

Lenders do not want to foreclose. They may be willing to work with the home owner but it is important that the home owner doesn’t ignore contact from the lender.

The lender may propose several options:

• Forbearance
  • Lenders may agree to a repayment plan before taking legal action
• Debt Forgiveness
  • Very rarely the lender might give you a break and waive your obligation.
• Repayment plan
  • The lender may agree to spread the payments out over a longer loan term.
• Modification
  • In some cases, the lender may agree to freeze the interest rate of an adjustable rate loan or extend the amortization period.
• Refinance
  • Adding payments to an existing loan balance may be an option if the homeowner has sufficient equity and meet the lender’s guidelines for refinance.
• Partial Claim
  • Certain government loans may contain provisions that allow the homeowner to apply for another loan to pay back missed payments.

Preventing the Notice of Default filing is the best way to prevent foreclosure. If none of the above options have worked there are still some options a homeowner can leverage. Once the Notice of Default is filed, the homeowner only has a small time frame to reinstate the loan by bringing the payments current and pay the costs of filing the foreclosure.

If you are unable to make up the payments you still have a few options:

• Sell your home
  • If you have equity in your home a quick sale is probably the best option at this point. Your home will need the best exposure and marketing to achieve the quickest sale possible.  A full marketing plan and the proper price positioning should get your home sold in time to avoid foreclosure.
• Attempt a short sale
  • If your home is worth less than the amount you owe, you might be a candidate for a short sale. A short sale is when you sell your home for less than what the amount owed.  A short sale will affect your credit rating but not as bad as a foreclosure. A short sale is negotiated with the lender.
• Deed in lieu
  • The homeowner deeds the property back to the lender by giving the lender a properly prepared and notarized deed, and the lender forgives the mortgage.

For more information on how to prevent foreclosure visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development site to Avoiding Foreclosure. http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/avoiding_foreclosure

Risks that raise rates
While most people buy home insurance to protect property from damage, liabilities from accidents on your property are often what drive up your insurance rate. “Legal liability can be more costly to home insurers than property damage,” says Loretta Worters, vice president of the Insurance Information Institute. “People sue for millions of dollars for minor injuries. Companies are not going to walk away from the business because you have a dog or pool, but they’ll charge you more.” Unforeseen or overlooked risks can drive up premiums or even lead to a rejection. Here are some of the biggest rate-boosters.

Beware of dog
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 4.7 million people a year are bitten by dogs. More than 50% of dog bites occur on the dog owner’s property, and they account for one-third of all homeowners-insurance liability claims. Consequently, some insurers don’t like aggressive breeds of dogs and may reject clients or charge more if they own pit bulls and Rottweilers. Others will insist on policies that exclude dog-bite coverage. If your dog has a history of violence, expect higher premiums. One potential way to reduce rates: Get Rex some obedience training.

Guarding the pool
Drowning is the leading cause of fatal injury for children ages 1 to 4. Insurers will cover homes with pools, but often at higher rates and with limited liability on their end. They will want to make sure the pool complies with local regulations and safety standards. “We require fences for homeowners with pools,” says Holly Anderson, a State Farm spokeswoman. The CDC estimates that more than half of drowning deaths involving young children could have been prevented by fencing that securely separates the pool from the house and yard. Homeowners can be liable for injuries that occur to strangers who use their pool without their permission.

Trampolines
Trampolines cause more than 100,000 emergency-room visits a year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Because the devices have become such a headache, insurers sometimes refuse to cover properties that have them or place specific “trampoline exclusion clauses” in policies to address liability. To get coverage for that liability, you will pay more. The insurer may require you to take safety measures such as covering trampoline springs with padding and placing the trampoline at a distance from trees and buildings.

Treehouses
According to the National Safety Council, falls account for 26% of all accidental injuries and deaths in the home. Every day, approximately 8,000 children are treated in U.S. emergency rooms for fall-related injuries; that totals nearly 2.8 million children each year. Treehouses can be primary culprits because of their height. Some insurers have treehouse exclusion clauses or reject applicants if they consider a treehouse too high or poorly maintained. Expect to pay more to cover one for any liabilities.

Guns
Living in a home that contains guns increases the risk of homicide by more than 40%, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. Insurers will generally cover gun owners, with caveats. Whether you have used a weapon in self-defense, with criminal intent or by accident will obviously play a big role in how much liability an insurer will assume. Insurers want to know that guns are properly secured, have safety locks and are kept out of reach of children. Failure to disclose that you have a firearm could lead to an insurer trying to deny your claims in the event of an accident.

Big-ticket jewelry
“Standard homeowners and renters insurance policies include coverage for personal items such as jewelry and other valuables,” Worters says. “However, many policies limit the dollar amount for the theft of valuable personal possessions such as jewelry, furs and precious stones to $1,000 to $2,000.” That wouldn’t match the cost of most engagement rings today. Covering your most valuable jewelry for theft and loss will increase your home-insurance premiums and require both an appraisal of the property and policy riders detailing both the value and nature of the jewelry you want covered.

Home businesses
The typical homeowners insurance policy covers a maximum of $2,500 for business equipment in the home, according to the Insurance Information Institute. It usually doesn’t cover business-related liability if a customer or supplier is injured on your property. “To cover a home business definitely adds to the premium, due to the increased chance of loss, both from a property and liability point of view,” Anderson says. “In many cases, we recommend such a policy through our business lines, which provides much broader coverage than a basic homeowners policy.” If you don’t notify your insurer of your business’s existence and an accident occurs, chances are you won’t be covered.

Heating fires
More than one-third of Americans use wood-burning stoves, fireplaces and other fuel-fired appliances as primary sources of home heat, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Heating fires account for 36% of residential home fires in rural areas every year. Before installing a wood stove or fireplace, notify your insurer. Some insurers may require proof of certification indicating that a stove or fireplace was installed properly. Without that, premiums can increase. Stoves must also comply with local building codes. Failure to notify your insurer of the installation could lead to a voided policy should a fire occur.

Sewer backup
The nation’s 500,000-plus miles of sewer lines are, on average, more than 30 years old. The Civil Engineering Research Foundation reports that the number of backed-up sewers is increasing at a rate of about 3% annually. Unfortunately, sewage backups — just like floods — are not covered by standard homeowners insurance policies, although the damage from one can amount to thousands of dollars. Coverage will increase your premiums.

Zip lines
Backyard zip lines — cables suspended in midair for people to slide across — have become increasingly popular and can be purchased for as little as $150. These are not the zip lines you find at resorts, but smaller ones that typically run from 100 feet to 400 feet. Injuries from one can be life-threatening if it has been strung high enough from the ground. As with treehouses, insurers look askance at zip lines because of the risk that someone will be injured; they want you to disclose if you have one and may then exclude it from your policy.

Exotic pets
According to the Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition, more than 10,000 big cats, 8.8 million reptiles and 3,000 apes are in private hands in the U.S. Whether you have a chimp in your garage or a fondness for tarantulas, chances are that your insurer will want nothing to do with it. Expect exclusions that don’t cover the creature in the house and a separate policy to cover potential liabilities. You may be able to buy a separate exotic-pet insurance policy.