Popping The Real Estate Bubble Myth!

If you turn on the TV, listen to the radio, or even surf the internet, you'll notice that there is a lot of people talking about the "Real Estate Bubble", and asking the question, "when is it going to burst?" They (these so-called experts) have been saying for years that the real estatemarket can't continue this type of growth. These "experts" remind me of chicken little, with all of their prosphesy of doom and gloom, and the "sky is falling" syndrome. The truth is there has never been a real estate bubble in the past, or presently, and there will certainly never be one in the future. Talk about there being a "real estate bubble" is the stuff that urban legends are made of.

Here's the readers digest version of what it all means. Thereal estate market is really, a "wave". It's cyclical, andwe are riding on a big wave right now. Real Estate is justlike Investing in the stock market, There are good yearswhen values rise and there are years that are better, whenvalues rise even higher. That's it, in a nutshell. Realestate has gone up and down throughout history, andgenerally speaking, it is fairly stable. When you look at agraph of real estate values, you would be able to see aclear pattern of increasing values. Now some years wouldhave higher peaks than others, and all in all, it is agradual building slope from left to right. And it looks justlike a wave.

In addition, there are more up cycles, than down cycles. Sothe recent growth we've had will be followed by ones ofdownturn. The only difference is that it may not be as muchof an increase, in other words the increase will be slower.The bottom line is, it will still be growth. This is whythere will always be growth. Real Estate is a basic need.People need a roof over their heads. You can rest assuredthat people will be renting, buying, leasing, and sellinghomes. And it doesn't matter if the market is low or high orif the interest rates are up or down. Real Estate is a surething!

Remember Real Estate cycles tend to be regionally based.Real Estate is always driven by the economic principles ofsupply and demand. Some areas of the country, likeSeattle, are going gangbusters, and real estate values aregoing sky high, and other areas like parts of the northeastare not increasing by the same percentage. However almostall areas are going up in value. Historically, propertyvalues increase in a strong job market. Other factorsto think about include; program funding, interest rates,population growth, climate, and user-friendly state andlocal governments, including school system changes. Theseare critical points to consider when investing in realestate, either as a landlord or for personal use.

The key to successful real estate investing is to understandwhat drives the market. Stay on top of what is going on inyour market place. Research the internet, read articles, getinvolved with your community. One other key to staying atthe top of your game is to get a mentor or coach to help yousucceed in your real estate investing career. If coaching isgood enough for sports figures like Tiger Woods, why notyou?

To sum it up, Real Estate bubbles don't exist, but there isa real estate wave. As any surfer knows, if you want toride the waves, you need to get in the water. Watching theaction can be fun, but will it put any money in your pocket?Invest with the intention of providing a service for others,and you can become rich investing in Real Estate.

Roseanne Nepht is founder of Real Estate XL - an excellent resource site dedicated to information on real estate.

More than 40 states signed onto a proposed $25-billion deal with major mortgage servicers over faulty foreclosure practices. New York, Nevada and Delaware joined California in holding out for better terms.

More than 40 states signed onto a proposed $25-billion settlement with major mortgage servicers over faulty foreclosure procedures, but California, New York and other key states were still not among them.

California has until Monday to share in a multi-state deal with banks to obtain mortgage relief and reforms. Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, who walked away from talks last year, says the door remains open.

With a Monday deadline at hand, California officials have resumed direct talks with the Obama administration about joining a multibillion-dollar, multi-state mortgage settlement with the nation's largest banks, a source said Sunday.

The talk show host pays $12 million for the 4,088-square-foot house with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The ocean-view home sits on 1.26 bluff-top acres with beach access.

In one of the more talked-about transactions in town, actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have sold their Malibu beach house to daytime host and comedian Ellen De Generes for $12 million.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom house built in 1920 for industrialist James Wigmore lists for $2,875,000.

A decorative cast stone entrance opens to this restored Spanish Colonial Revival-style house in Pasadena's South Orange Grove area. Built in 1920 for industrialist James Wigmore, the house retains such original details as coffered wood ceilings and arched doorways.

They don't believe they can sell their property for what it's worth, so they're spending money on making their homes more comfortable.

Do you fit any of these descriptions?

A biennial research report by the National Assn. of Realtors indicates that a handful of real estate agents and brokers and their clients either don't know the law or don't care to follow it.

When it comes to lawsuits, real estate agents and brokers tangle mostly among themselves.

The president aims to help about 3.5 million people with good credit who are unable to refinance at historically low rates because their homes are worth less than their mortgages.

 

The White House hopes to help millions of homeowners lower their monthly mortgage bill with a $5 billion to $10 billion plan to set up a streamlined refinancing program for people who are current on their payments.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index of 20 large U.S. cities fell 1.3% in November from October as foreclosures continue to drag down the housing market.

Three straight months of home-price declines in the biggest U.S. cities showed that foreclosures remain a significant drag on a housing market that is entering its fifth year of deterioration.

L.A. Clipper Chris Paul may be quick down the court, but he moves pretty fast when it comes to buying multimillion-dollar real estate too.