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In the world of commercial real estate, not all appraisers are considered equal. It takes a certain expertise and knowledge to correctly appraise commercial property, and not just anybody is qualified. There are two types of appraisers, a fee appraiser and a staff appraiser. A fee appraiser is generally available to the public for hire, and a staff appraiser works for a specific lender or lending firm.

The appraiser that you hire for your commercial investments before you buy can have a great impact on the amount of money you spend and your chances of getting funding from a lender. Most lenders will not accept just any appraiser. So, if you get an appraisal with an appraiser that a lender does not accept, you have just wasted your time and money, and you are no closer to getting the property you want.

Let’s look at what makes a qualified appraiser, and who it is you want to hire to evaluate your potential investment.

It is common practice for a lender to appoint the appraiser that is to appraise the property in question. This practice is in place because there are dishonest buyers who work with certain appraisers that will inflate the property’s true value. This, in turn, allows the buyer to borrow more money than what a lender would normally allow, thus increasing the lender’s risk.

Inflating a property’s true market value is surprisingly easy because appraisals are simply guesstimates of a property’s true market value. They are interpretations based on the surrounding property and selected criteria. An appraisal can be “fixed” according to a person’s interest. That is why the two parties must not have any prior dealings or common interest in the subject property.

A very widely used and accepted type of appraiser is one that is certified by the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers. They are members, making them M.A.I. designated. Most lenders will require that you use only an MAI appraiser. These MAI appraisers have gone through intense study, years of practice, and have had to perform under tight supervision while appraising many different properties.

Most MAI appraisers will not conspire with a borrower because there is too much to lose and too much invested in their practice. For this reason, most lenders will accept MAI appraisals regardless of whether or not they know the appraiser personally. For the most part, lenders will have trusted appraisers that they work with all the time, and will require that you use only their appraisers. Be sure to get clarification on this issue before you hire an appraiser because you do not want to pay for two!

An MAI appraisal costs more than a non-MAI appraisal because of the added expertise and experience of the appraiser. In fact, the cost for a single appraisal can run from $2,000-$5,000, or two to three times the cost of a fee appraiser. Be sure to include this in your total cost of purchasing the property so you are prepared to cover the cost.

If you have been in the commercial real estate business for a while, you may have a few lenders and appraisers that you work with often. They may even be considered as part of your team. This can greatly increase your productivity because you have professionals at your fingertips to get many properties handled quickly, if necessary.

You can trust MAI appraisers to perform an accurate evaluation of your prospect property. With this appraisal, you will be able to get the proper amount of money loaned on the property and not come out short.

It is always a good idea to research your appraiser and view some of the work that he or she has done. The appraiser and the appraisals should be of the utmost professional quality because so much is riding on their appraisal. Even if it costs you more money, always use an MAI appraiser to avoid problems with the lender and unnecessary expenditures.

The real estate market is very good right now and home prices are still rising steadily. Most real estate buyers these days are well educated about the process and have done their research.  This is why realtors need to keep up with the times and be able provide clients with the latest information.

More and more people are using and accessing the Internet. The National Association of Realtors contends that 96% of the Americans who would buy houses will access the Internet to find their dream homes. Most realtors do not understand the power of the Internet in generating the sales that they need. They do not realize that the generation of leads through the Internet can significantly increase your sales.

The easier it is for potential buyers to find you and your properties, the more likely it is that you will gain clients. Having an Internet presence will allow your clients, potential clients, or other interested parties, get in touch with you and the information you have to offer anytime.

However, creating your own web site requires some work. There is a lot that goes into it such as design, hosting, search engine marketing and updates. The good websites often require a professional to get it off on the right track and optimized properly. http://www.fixpad.net is a good place to start if you need help with your website.

Having an experienced webmaster will really help.  There are several things you need to do in order for your website to be found among the millions of sites out on the web.  An experienced webmaster will be able to optimize your site for the search engines and get you listed in the top results for your area.  The webmaster will help you with your email newsletters, link strategies, marketing and advertising.  It’s a lot of work, but the payoff is great once everything is in place.

Also, it is important to keep your website interesting and full of information.  If your website is just an advertisement people won’t stay on your site for long.  However, if you provide useful information for your potential clients such as the latest mortgage rates, mls search, home buyer tips, articles and other useful information visitors will stay on your site and come back for more at a later time.  Search engines, such as Google, like constantly changing and updated websites and rewared those sites by giving them top search results.  Since most people only look at the first page of search results it is important to be there.

Another way to reach potential customers is by blogging. If you want to develop a rapport with your customers, make regular postings about the local real estate market and gain interest from other media outlets or potential customers. You would certainly benefit from starting a blog. Because blogs by nature are considered a source of information rather than a commercial advertisement it makes perfect sense for a realtors to use blogs as a means of establishing a reputation in their market.

A website should be the primary marketing tool for every realtor. Almost everyone who looking for a new home searches the internet first.  If you are not there you are missing out on a lot of potential clients.internet first.  If you are not there you are missing out on a lot of potential clients.

Locating potential commercial real estate deals can be the most important aspect of commercial real estate investing. In fact, without solid deals, you do not have any property in which to invest. It is really necessary to find the best deals you can so that your invested capital is maximized in its return.

When you locate only great deals, you can do fewer deals per year and make an exorbitant amount of money. Great deals are characterized by a return that equals three to four times the amount of your investment. However, if you find only average deals, the return per deal can be considerably less, causing you to either not make as much money, or do more deals per year. It takes the same amount of work and identical processes for each deal, so you might as well do less work and see a greater return.

You must use trusted and solid resources to locate your deals. Although there are many options to find properties, as they are available in every city and state, you must use resources with updated and accurate information. Below you will find the best resources to assist you in finding deals. You can use each resource to locate the properties that fit within your property investment criteria. Some resources may work better than others, depending on your area of specialization.

One of the best and most common places to find commercial property is through commercial brokers. This would make sense, as they are the ones who actually have the properties listed. You can go to them with a criteria sheet or specific information on the type of property you would like to purchase.

You can find brokers on a local or more widely spread basis, even going as far as calling brokers in other states. Most will be more than happy to call other brokers and find listings that best fit your criteria. They will bring you properties as they become available.

Another great advantage of a commercial broker is their ability to find pocket listings, or listings that are about to go on the market, but have not yet officially been listed. You can get a jump ahead of the competition and find excellent deals. Get in contact with a few brokers every day, and watch targeted properties roll in!

Another place to locate properties is on the internet. There are many sites that have hundreds of commercial properties for sale ranging from raw land to large retail and apartment complexes. These sites have information on both the property and the broker, so you can easily get in contact with the broker and learn more about the property. You can filter the information as you see fit, usually according to your specific criteria.

One of the best sites is Loopnet.com. This site houses hundreds of brokers all over the United States who post their many listings. You can filter through deals very quickly and reach a larger audience than you would in just your own community. Your ability to build contacts also increases with so many brokers and agents at your fingertips. I urge you to check out these commercial real estate sites and see what deals you can find.

Auction houses are great places to locate properties of all conditions and types. Many times you can get excellent deals on properties that you may otherwise have to spend a lot more for if they were listed with a broker. You can get on mailing and e-mail lists of different auction houses so they notify you of properties that will be going to auction. This allows you time to investigate the property as an investment, before the actual bidding day.

Auction houses also sometimes provide the option to purchase a property at a certain price before it goes to auction. You never know what opportunities will come along, so it is a good idea to stay in contact with several auction houses to be privy of the properties moving through their hands.

Although there are many ways to locate deals, these are among the best offered to the commercial real estate industry. The properties are abundant, and contacts can constantly be made, allowing for an ease of influx of other possible deals. A secret in this business is that the more contacts you have working for you, the more opportunities will be brought to your attention.

If you are working locally, and using only local resources such as newspapers, listings, and magazines, I urge you to use these other options. You can find local deals this way as well. It might even give you incentive to move out to your comfort zone and into areas where you will find even more opportunities.

Use these resources- commercial brokers, internet commercial real estate sites, and auction houses to find targeted, up to date, and numerous properties that could possibly bring your next big commercial deal!

Zero down? Why would a seller want to walk away from closing with nothing? Well, they wouldn’t, and that brings up the most important point about real estate investing with no downpayment: The seller almost always needs cash at closing, but it doesn’t have to be YOUR cash.

A Zero Down Example

I’m selling a small rental property right now, with payments of $400/month. The buyer has a good credit report, and the $5,000 downpayment covers closing costs and even a foreclosure, if necessary. So at this point, I don’t care where he gets the downpayment. A $6000 cash advance on a low-interest credit card for example, would cost him about $135 per month, and give him enough for the downpayment and his closing costs.

In this case, with rent around $600 per month, he would be okay. In some cases, however, that extra $135 might cause negative cash-flow. So be sure that however you do it, the numbers work. By the way, I would have set the payments at $350, if he had asked, because it’s the price and the interest rate that are important to me.

Other Zero Downpayment Methods

While there are sellers (like myself) that are able to offer terms and low downpayments, usually you have to find a way to get at least 70% of the price to them in cash. Think in terms of how to get a primary loan, then how to raise the money for the remainder. A couple examples follow.

Some banks still do “no doc” loans, meaning they don’t require verification of income, source of downpayment, etc. They generally loan only 70% to 80% of the property value, but if the seller is willing to take a second mortgage from you for the other 20% to 30%, you are in with no money down. The seller gets 70% or 80% in cash, plus payments for years to come. You’ll have two payments, of course, so be sure the numbers work.

You can borrow against your home or other property to come up with downpayment money. If you borrow for a “vacation,” and leave whatever you don’t spend in your checking account for a while, you can use it without violating bankers rules about borrowing for a downpayment.

Even if you live in a small town, there are usually a few “note buyers.” These are investors that buy land contracts, mortgage loans and other “notes” at a discount. If a seller takes a purchase money mortgage from you for $100,000, for example, a note buyer might pay him $85,000 for it. So how does that help you or him?

An example: A seller prices his property at $195,000, and expects to sell it for $180,000. You offer $205,000 in the form of a mortgage  for $160,000, and another for $50,000. You have arranged for the sale of the first mortgage at closing for $136,000 to a note buyer. The seller gets that cash now, plus payments from you on the second loan for $50,000. Notice that this adds up to $186,000, which is more than he expected to get out of the deal.

These are just some of the ways you can buy with zero down. Real estate investing is about making the deal work for all parties. Find a way to get what you want, and get the seller what he wants. That is more important than having big cash on hand.

Your home is a huge investment! Do you want to increase its worth? Do you want to improve how you feel about your home when you walk in the door after work? Do you want to show off your home proudly to your family and friends? Do you want to enjoy the greater convenience and room that comes with a bigger, nicer house… without having to buy an entirely new one?

And when it comes time to sell your home, do you wan to get more money for it?

Sure you do! You know that a new kitchen, a new bathroom, a new guestroom, or a landscaped yard will add value to your home. As will new furniture, a new patio, a new garage, or a new roof. But you also may not have the cash on hand to pay for it. How are you going to pay for it? To increase the value of your home, you need cash. To get cash you may need to get a loan.

You should consider getting a UK Home Improvement Loan. And when you do, you’ll see the value of your home climb, and your home improvement dreams will come true! In fact, many people are turning to a UK Home Improvement Loan to make their home improvement dreams come true.

A UK Home Improvement Loan is loan you can get that is based on the security you can offer through your property. It can be obtained with low interest rates, and because it’s secured, you have more repayment options available to you.

That’s the amazing thing about home improvements. They are one of the last remaining investments in which you can spend a little and get a lot back. And if you don’t have the money readily available, no problem! You can still make money when you improve your home by using a loan and paying it back on time.

Want an addition on your home? How about a remodeled kitchen? Want to furnish the basement? What to build a garage? Want to add a deck? Want to make a guesthouse for your mother-in-law? Whatever home improvement project you choose, you can probably find a UK Home Improvement Loan to match the term and repayment details that suit your income and credit rating.

So whether you want to build a bigger house or furnish it with nicer things, you should consider getting a UK Home Improvement Loan.