Archive for the 'Finance Articles' Category

If you’re dreaming of making money in real estate, it’s time to stop dreaming and get to work, because making money in real estate isn’t just a vague pipedream. It can be done, even by a young and inexperienced person, when you learn how to “flip” houses.

A friend of mine, we’ll call her Tai, made a fortune in real estate, beginning at the age of twenty, with no help from anyone else. Here’s how she did it:

Tai began by buying a HUD repo, which allowed her to get into the house for no money down. Then she fixed it up and sold it herself. At closing, she had made enough profit to by a second fixer-upper, but this time, she paid all cash. Tai went right to work fixing her second house, and when she sold that one, she collected profit of $44,000, which allowed her to pay cash for her third house!

By now, Tai was comfortable with her formula, and within a short time, she had flipped her third house, realizing enough profit to pay cash for yet another house, as well as being able to buy the custom pickup of her dreams. And all of this had happened in the span of just nine months!

Tai’s formula was simple. She located houses that needed only cosmetic work, avoiding those that required structural repairs. She did all the painting herself, inside and out, and updated the home’s lighting, plumbing fixtures, and carpeting. Once renovations had been completed, all three houses sold quickly, and at a significant profit.

It’s the most tried-and-true way to make a fortune in real estate, so don’t listen to anyone who tries to tell you that it can’t be done or that you need to have a great deal of start-up money. That’s not true. You can buy houses with no money down through various loan programs, and sellers will often help you with the closing costs.

I know what I’m talking about! My husband and I bought our 27th house earlier this year, for no money down, and we expect to make a profit of at least $100,000 for just one month of hard work!

But we take the process a step further, making our houses outshine the competition by also using Design Psychology, although our buyers never know that. All they know is that they feel good when they’re in our homes, which makes them want to buy them, even if they’re more expensive than the house next door.

There’s no other business that can make you as much money, with as little start-up cost, in as short a time, as investing in real estate. In fact, more millionaires made their fortunes in real estate than in any other business. And you can do it, too. You just have to stop dreaming and get started.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm

If you are environmentally conscious and purchase a 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid vehicle that combines a gasoline-powered engine with alternative power methods, you are in line for a nice tax deduction.

Ostensibly, the government uses clean power tax deductions as a method to promote the use of vehicles that are less harmful to the environment. The clean-fuel tax deduction is based on the incremental cost of using a vehicle model that combines traditional gasoline-powered engines with electric motors. The deduction is only available if the manufacturer has submitted vehicle specifications that the IRS has agreed to qualify the vehicle as a “Clean-Fuel Vehicle”. Once this has occurred, the IRS then certifies the vehicle as one that qualifies an owner for a tax deduction.

On December 13, 2004, the IRS certified the 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid as a “Clean-Fuel Vehicle” for the first time. If you purchased the Ford Escape in 2004 or 2005, you may claim a tax deduction of $2,000. You must comply with two requirements before claiming the deduction. Under current law, you must:

1. Take the deduction in the year the vehicle was originally purchased,and

2. Be the original owner, of the vehicle.

Importantly, you do not have to itemize your deductions to take advantage of the Clean-Fuel deduction. If you are using the basic 1040 form for filing your taxes, simply write “clean fuel” on line 33 and take the deduction. Make sure you review the instructions for form 1040 to correctly claim the deduction. The process is exceedingly simple.

It should be noted that the Clean-Fuel Vehicle deduction is a one-time deduction. Further, the deduction is only available on your federal tax return, not your state filing. Since the deduction will affect your adjusted gross income, however, you should see an additional saving on your state tax return since your adjusted gross income will be reduced. If you have already filed taxes for the year in which you purchased a clean-fuel vehicle, you should consider amending your tax returns to claim the deduction.

Richard Chapo is CEO of http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses by finding overlooked tax deductions and credits through a free tax return review.

OVERVIEW

Section 1031 in allows you to exchange “like-kind” investment properties without triggering the payment of capital gains tax. As your property assets appreciate in value you have the ability to upgrade into larger properties with greater cash flow. Section 1031 also gives you the flexibility to exchange your rental properties that have appreciated in value in hot markets, and re-invest into lesser-known areas that are expected to develop and become the next hot market in years to come. You can continuously defer these capital gains taxes as you continue to pyramid your property investment portfolio into larger and larger properties as long as you meet the 1031 Exchange Requirements.

1031 EXCHANGE BENEFITS

There are a lot of benefits to considering the use of a 1031 exchange:

TAX DEFERRED INVESTING

The ability to re-invest your entire property equity without tax erosion can significantly enhance the amount of capital that stays invested and can make it easier to upgrade into higher value properties with greater cash flow.

INCREASE CASH FLOW

This decision to upgrade into higher quality properties with greater cash flow can occur faster now that taxes are a lower priority transaction decision. In some markets the real estate values can get ahead of the available cash flow available from the property. In these situations it may make sense to lock in your gain and look to re-invest in another property where you can achieve higher cash flow returns.

TIMING THE MARKET

The ability to speculate on the next hot market area or region is a much easier decision under a 1031 exchange. Why not lock in your profits on property that has already risen dramatically in value and re-invest it in the next hot market? As long as your capital gains are deferred making these transaction decisions is easier.

COMPOUND RETURNS

If you are stepping up your portfolio through a series of exchanges over time your full capital gain can be re-invested without tax consequence, resulting in accelerated equity accumulation.

FLEXIBILITY

The ability to switch into “like-kind” properties as defined in the tax code gives you a range of investment options and flexibility. If you don’t want a lot of the headaches associated with managing property you can also consider Tenant in Common exchanges, which do qualify under Section 1031 of the tax code.

CONCLUSION

1031 tax exchanges gives real estate investors a lot more options and flexibility to make better investment decisions on their real estate holdings without the issue of tax over-riding sound judgment. If you own a rental property or are considering it you owe it to yourself to see if a 1031 exchange is right for your circumstances.

About the Author

S.A. Smith is a freelance writer, contributor, and editor of the 1031 Exchange Listings information portal and can be reached at http://www.1031exchangelistings.com/