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Life’s Experiences, Lessons learned, Classes taken, Books and Articles read, and then summarized for your viewing pleasure in the following article on Commercial Real Estate Negotiating tips

1. Don’t let contract negotiations go back and forth more than twice – the more back and forth, the harder it is to get a deal done. Round 1 and both are focused on the sale. Round 2 and the focus changes to money. When you get past Round 2 parties can begin to nitpick, start to resent each other and lose focus. Issues can then become personal.
2. Focus on completing the sale. Don’t get sidetracked by emotions, unimportant details, unforeseen challenges or difficult situations that arise.
3. Endeavor to put all contract offers and subsequent pertinent details in writing. This avoids the misunderstandings, misrepresentations and omissions that typically accompany verbal communications and lead to a breakdown in the process.
4. When you give a concession, ask for something in return. You might not always get it but the fact that you’ve given in on an issue ought to give you the standing to ask for and often times receive something in return. Just by asking and not receiving you avoid the other side continuing to ask concessions of you and your Client.
5. It’s best to not take the first offer too quickly or too easily. Wait at least a few hours. When talking about it with the other Agent don’t talk about the ease of getting the property under contract. The other side will immediately think they made a bad deal and from that point forward the closing process can become more difficult than it should be.
6. If you get to an impasse, change the focus and resolve less complicated issues. Then go back to the difficult ones. The process will go smoother and once you have worked through the easy ones, momentum will help get things finished.
7. If you aren’t sure how to reply to a request or if you know the answer but want to soften the blow, use the “limited authority” approach. “I’m not sure, let me check with my Partner”, or “Let me take a look at such and such data” so that you can better provide a more meaningful reply.
8. In order to support your position, rely on precedent. Suggest that this is the way that issues like these are typically addressed or that you’ve done such and such before with great success.
9. Ask the other side for something that isn’t critical to making the deal so that perhaps you can trade this item away for something more important to you.
10. Negotiations are a process. It doesn’t matter how quickly you want things to move, the process will move based upon the comfort level of your Client. Maintain focus, but keep in mind that the process will most likely not move as fast as you want it to.
11. Stay away from high pressure tactics including ultimatums, demands or anything that sounds final and/or threatening. Most of the time it doesn’t help and it can lead directly to emotional responses that then creates animosity.
12. Work towards a win / win. In order to have a successful negotiation, both sides need to win on some points. Give and take. Strive to achieve most of your goals understanding that the other party is trying to do the same.
13. Present all of the facts to your Client. It’s your fiduciary duty as a Realtor to apprise the Client of all related facts to the negotiations – good and bad. Don’t push for the higher dollar offer if other terms of the offer put the Client at undue risk.
14. Remember who you are negotiating with. Sooner or later you’ll be back at the table again with the same Agent. Don’t burn any bridges by transacting in a less than professional manner.

Real estate investing is satisfying and lucrative, when done right. It can help you diversify your investment portfolio as well as generate extra income. Many of the real estate investments don’t require you to deal directly with tenants. Also, you can purchase a property by paying only a fraction of the total price and then clearing the balance and interest over time. Here are four real estate investing options.

Rental Properties

Investing in residential rental properties can be great, especially for individuals with renovation and DIY skills, and have the fortitude to deal with tenants.

Pros

• Provides regular income
• Properties can appreciate
• You can optimize capital through leverage
• Many of the expenses are tax-deductable

Cons

• Managing tenants can be tedious
• Vacancies can reduce income
• Tenants can damage property

House Flipping

You can purchase underpriced properties that need a bit of an upgrade, renovate them inexpensively and then resell them at a profit. House flipping, however, comes with some risks. First, your estimate of repair costs must be precise, which is not a simple thing to do. Second, the longer the property is in your hands the less money you’re likely to make because you’ll be paying a mortgage without it generating income.

Pros

• Ties your capital only in the short term
• Potential quick returns

Cons

• A hot market may cool unexpectedly
• Requires deep industry knowledge

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

REITs are traded in major exchanges, similar to stocks. A REIT comes into being when a trust/corporation uses investors’ money to buy and manage income-generating properties. To maintain the REIT status, 90 percent of the taxable income of the trust/corporation must be paid out as dividends. REITs can enable you to invest in nonresidential properties, like office blocks and malls that, may not be capable of purchasing directly.

Pros

• Highly liquid because they can be traded
• They are in essence dividend-paying stocks
• The holdings are typically cash-producing long-term leases

Cons

• Doesn’t offer the leverage that’s usually available in traditional rental property investing

Online Platforms

These online platforms link investors with developers who need capital for their real estate projects, either through equity or debt.

Pros

• You have the option of investing in a single project or a diverse range of projects
• Geographic diversification

Cons

• Typically illiquid and speculative
• Management fees

Conclusion

The four real estate investment options available to investors include rental properties, house flipping, REITS, and online platforms. Ultimately, the ideal real estate investment opportunities are those that align with your investment goals.

Are you operating your own rental portfolio? Are you tired of investigating your tenants and checking them out fully to make sure you are getting solid income streams?

Are you trying to find properties where numbers work? Do you think it will be wiser to work out a deal with a professional property manager to limit the liabilities your real estate business is creating?

Are you managing forward-looking assumptions regarding bad debt, delinquencies, concessions, vacancy, rent growth, etc. all impact returns and yields?

Are you embracing technology and don’t know how to start working on your online presence?

Property investing may not be rocket science but you can be bogged down with the various challenges of the day-to-day transactions.

Real estate may be a multifaceted and dynamic industry that evolves quickly and there will always be a handful of problems in such an erratic sector you have to navigate, but dealing with these challenges is not at the top of your list of priorities.

Don’t fret.

You can delegate. You can have your peace of mind.

So you can focus on the most important stuff in your real estate business and free your time working on what you love and what you’re good at, you can delegate two important roles:

1. Lease Administration
2. Dedicated Staffing

Yeah, this the smartest way to run your property investing business nowadays.

OUTSOURCE.

Why should you outsource your real estate investing needs?

• To simplify your property investment

You can demystify your property investing if you’ve developed a system with a dedicated team to cater to specific tasks. Let property managers do what they’re good at doing. Let the auditing team do the numbers. Let the social media staff work on your online presence. Delegate specific tasks to the right people to get the best outcome possible.

• To allow you more time to focus on what you do best

Since you already have a system and a dedicated team working in the background at the jobs that they’re good at, you now have more time to focus on what you do best. You can’t be a one-man band to do everything. You have your own special skills and talents that are needed in your property investing and it will serve you well to do that.

• To give you the freedom to have a work-life balance

You don’t necessarily have to work hard on your property investing. You only need to work smart. With a sound system in place and dedicated staff, you can also enjoy and get a life.

You deserve to have a work-life balance and you need it to thrive in your business. A sound mind, body and spirit working harmoniously together is the secret to your success. You can’t work smart and not live life. You can have it both… work and live.

Be a success story in your property investing. Work smart, delegate and outsource.

Utah real estate agents are continuing to adapt to an ever-changing market. For many years, Utah has been unique for its excellent location in the west without the soaring prices of neighboring states like California. In fact, having a cheaper cost of living than California has given Utah a special economic edge. Unfortunately, Utah is also finding itself struggling with some of the same issues as the golden state, such as overpopulation and rising housing prices. Utah is, however, currently looking at a low 3.2% unemployment rate for 2017 and part of 2018.

How is overpopulation effecting Utah? Well, not having enough housing causes it to be in higher demand, and there is a real danger that overbuilding could reach the mountains and lake areas, which would mean that the number of people looking for housing would have exceeded the amount of space available. While this may be good short-term news for Utah real estate agents, it may not sit well for the state as a whole in the big picture.

If people living in Salt Lake City, Utah’s capital and largest city are forced to move farther out it could also be treacherous for the local economy. Salt Lake City homes are already experiencing steep differences: homes are selling for as little as 200,000 or as much as over one million. Salt Lake City realtors may need to focus on accommodating the number of people living in the area. One thing they can do is perhaps focus on building more multi-family units, although this is an issue that Utah real estate agents may not be able to solve on their own.

An everlasting problem in Utah and all over the country seems to be rising cost of living. Houses for sale in Salt Lake City, as well as rental units throughout the state are experiencing a higher-than-ever price. Meanwhile, with low unemployment, wages are stagnant. This presents a problem when houses for sale in Salt Lake City exceed the income of the average worker, and people begin to move farther out. If this problem becomes too extreme, Salt Lake City realtors and Utah real estate agents in general will have their work cut out for them.

Unfortunately, experts are not predicting a reversal of these trends any time soon. In fact, Salt Lake homes for sale will probably continue to become more expensive. How the wage situation will change is also debatable with no clear end in sight. Technological changes will no doubt have an effect on things; for example, the internet has become increasingly popular over the last two decades, and in more recent years, Smartphones have taken over the industry.

Now, when looking for an apartment or house, you could go on Craigslist or simply Google, “Salt Lake City homes for sale,” or “homes for sale slc” and find actual Salt Lake City homes for sale right there on the internet. Or you could type in “Utah real estate agents” and be connected to someone directly. The possibilities are endless.

Ultimately, the situation is going where the economy takes it, and a lot of this is dependent on the government and decisions they are making. However, the market for Salt Lake City homes will probably remain high. People will continue to search online for “homes for sale slc” with hopes of finding some affordable Salt Lake homes for sale.

However, with the increase in population over the past two decade, the cost of living is on the rise in major part due the cost of housing. And if real estate continues to increase, Utah real estate agents and brokers alike may find themselves in the cross-hairs if and when faced with another bursting market cycle.

Although, we have been experiencing, one of the longest, prolonged period, of low – interest rates, and, thus, what’s often, referred to, as cheap money, few individuals, seem to fully appreciate, what this means to the real estate market, and why! Very recently, the Federal Reserve, lowered interest rates, an additional 0.25%, so how might that affect, the overall market – place, and the essentials of the housing markets? With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, explore, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 5 possible ways, this economic reality, will probably, affect, many aspects of this reality.

1. Mortgage rates, availability, etc: When overall rates fall, there is nearly always, and an immediate, or near – immediate impact, on mortgages! This translates to, lower monthly carrying charges, on a monthly basis! When it costs less, it means, buyers are able to purchase, more home, for their dollars! It means, it’s possible to proceed, with purchasing a more expensive house, and making the same payments. Often, this results in rising costs of houses, because, when more people can afford to buy, the economic concept, of Supply and Demand, kicks – in!

2. More house for your payments: Many perceive, this permits them to pay more, and, therefore, do so. They, often, fail to consider, this may, in the longer – run, when/ if, interest rates go up. the value of the particular property, might be adversely affected! One must also, consider, whether we are experiencing, a buyers, sellers, or neutral market!

3. Qualified, potential buyers: Because a major component of the financing qualification formula, used, for securing a home loan, when rates go down, and, thus, monthly installments, do, too, there many be, significantly more, qualified, potential buyers, around. This makes homeowners/ sellers, begin to be, in a more favorable position, because, it increases buyers, and, thus, tends towards a sellers market!

4. Some homeowners might list house, sooner: When prices go up, and demand is boosted, this is often accompanied by, more homeowners, deciding, it may be, a good time, to list their house! In the short – run, there may be one impact, which may be, or not, the same as the one, in the longer – term!

5. More refinancing, more overall use of credit, etc: Many homeowners decide, it’s time, to refinance their home loan, because of the lower rates, and, thus, cheaper money! It may, also, result in, fewer cash – deals, because, it makes more economic sense, to borrow funds, instead!

When rates fall, in most cases, prices rise, and so does demand! A wise consumer, whether buyer or seller, is aware of conditions, and proceeds, accordingly!