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The Creating Wealth Show Blogcast

The Creating Wealth Show Blogcast

By: Jason Hartman with Ben Carson Noam Chomsky Robert Kiyosaki John McAfee
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Summary
This is a short professional reading, audio blog or blogcast from the JasonHartman.com blog. You'll learn how to survive and thrive in today's economy as business and real estate investment guru, Jason Hartman shows you innovative ways to "game the system" relating to the American economic mess, Wall Street scams, mortgage meltdown, inflation induced debt destruction, deflation and monetary policy. Jason shares his no-hype investment strategies for REO's / foreclosures, auctions, lease options, land contracts, mobile home parks, self-storage facilities, rental apartments, office, retail, industrial, tax liens, loan modifications, credit repair and commercial real estate. Jason Hartman is a self-made multi-millionaire with years of financial experience. He currently owns properties in several states and has been involved in thousands of real estate transactions. Subscribe now for free to learn how to follow in Jason's footsteps for a more abundant life.2013 Economics Personal Finance
Episodes
  • CW Blogcast 79 -What's the Home Buying "Freedom Threshold"?
    Jun 30 2015

    While everyone’s attention has been focused on the Millennials and their housing choices, it turns out that it may be those famous Baby Boomers who wield more influence in today’s housing market.

    According to new article from the Bryan Ellis Investing Letter, research from Merrill Lynch reveals that the “magic age” for housing choices is not those post college years, but one much farther away: age 61. That’s the age when, according to Merrill lynch analysts, people really feel free to choose where they want to live. This “Freedom Threshold” comes at a time when people are able to let personal preferences and not job or family responsibilities dictate where and how they live.

    That “golden age” defined by Merrill Lynch falls on the threshold of the traditional American retirement age, typically either 62 or 65. At that point, homeowners are looking ahead to a retirement that’s potentially another quarter century or more long, and they want it to be on their own terms.

    The freedom to choose exactly where you want to live isn’t easily accomplished at other ages. Factors like jobs, family obligations and money drive those kinds of decisions at younger ages. For the Millennials born between the 1980s and 2000 or so, choices about housing are driven partly by choice – as a group, they tend to fear being trapped by owning a home when other parts of their lives are subject to great change. But those choices are also limited by economic necessity, such as having to relocate for work, facing limited job opportunities or struggling with student debt.

    Fast forward a few years, and somewhat older individuals are making housing choices based on jobs and family. Buying a house and staying in it may not be a matter of personal preference, but of factors like proximity to well paying work, schools or other amenities. Once the nest is empty, these homeowners may feel free to make other choices, but with growing families and career demands those choices end up being postponed.

    That, say the researchers at Merrill Lynch, brings us to that magic age of choice, 61. But what people do with the freedom that lies ahead is as varied as the individuals themselves. Some might opt to downsize, selling off a large family home once children are grown and gone in favor of a smaller place. Others might choose the opposite route, upsizing from a small house to a larger one that can accommodate visits from family and friends.

    And still others opt out of the homeowner role entirely, choosing to rent a place that offers amenities and takes care of repairs and lawn maintenance. Moving into a mobile home, or hitting the road in an RV or living abroad for a part of the year also appeal to some.

    Whatever housing choices these new retirees and near retirees make, they mean movement in the housing market – more movement than in other age groups. And since the Baby Boom generation is second only to the Millennals in size, that “magic age” for housing choices has the potential to drive significant changes in the US housing market – and create new opportunities for investors in rental real estate.

    People now nearing that Freedom Threshold aren’t looking for “retirement” or “active living” communities. Only seven percent of those surveyed by Merrill Lynch wanted that kind of living arrangement. They want to live in vibrant, diverse communities close to the amenities they want, such as shopping, dining and entertainment.

    Though age related services are somewhat important, such as proximity to health care and the opportunity to stay at home rather than move into assisted living facilities, that’s not as much of a priority for this age group as you might expect. They’re active, engaged and eager to enjoy life.

    That’s a trend worth watching for income property investors. The choices made by those who now have the freedom to design their home life will affect the number and kind of homes available to buy as well as their prices. Those choices also open opportunities for investors who want to attract tenants of that age group to their rental properties.

    While all eyes are on the Millennials, once again, the Baby Boomers are stealing the show. And investors willing to keep an eye on the changes they bring to the market can find new ways to build wealth through real estate, as Jason Hartman advises.

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    5 mins
  • CW Blogcast 78 - Solving Real Estate's "Millennials" Problem
    Jun 23 2015
    The Millennials have taken a lot of heat lately, criticized for poor work ethics, overdependence on technology and general lack of interest in notching up the traditional milestones of “adult” life. Now, as home sales continue to drop, market watchers are looking once again to the attitudes and behaviors of Millennials for explanations. Millennials - those born between about 190 and 2000 – do account for 76 percent of first time homebuyers. But since as a group they’re postponing home buying and other major life decisions, their numbers aren’t doing much to change the overall slump in first time home purchases. But according to new statistics reported by Real Estate Consulting, these young people aren’t saying “no” to home purchases as much as “not now.” And their reasons for doing so reflect not the much publicized slacker mindset, but a cautious one inspired by their parents’ struggle with tough economic times. That wariness to commit to a long-term financial obligation combined with a changing social climate contributes to some of the stereotypes about Millennials’ preference for renting and budgeting for different needs than home buying. And because Millennials now make up the largest demographic group in the United States, second only to the famous Baby Boomers, investors in rental real estate may want to take a closer look at their reasons for doing so. As just about everyone knows, one pressing problem for Millenials is the much publicized student loan debt. That burden, along with Millennials’ equally well-publicized struggles in the traditional workplace, creates the stereotype of the young college graduate forced to live at home with Mom and Dad while working at a low wage job. But as Real Estate Consulting reports, that’s not the whole picture. In a culture where life spans are longer than ever and 60 is the new 40, Millennials are postponing all those so-called adult decisions to later points in their lives. They’re marrying later, and having children later too – if they have them at all. Jobs may take them to different places, so settling down can wait a while. Behind some of those decisions is a very real fear of an uncertain future. Many in this generation have seen their parents and grandparents struggle through the last recession, with lost jobs, low wages, and an economic crash triggered by – what else? – the collapse of the housing market. So it may not be too surprising that many Millennials see a house not as an investment or a step toward a more secure future, but as a millstone. Buy a home? What if you find a job in another city? What if a future spouse doesn’t like living there? What if you lose your job and can’t find another one to pay the mortgage? And what if you want to travel? If fear is a factor driving the Millennial aversion to home buying, another, and potentially more important, one is simply shifting priorities. The world in which this generation came of age is simply a different one than that of their parents – not just financially, but culturally. Not all Millennials are cash strapped and debt-burdened. They may have the ability to save for a down payment or manage a mortgage, but they’re choosing to put it toward other things such as technology and entertainment services. And they’re questioning the value of house payments when the same amount will cover a rental with amenities like pools, gyms and good location. A good location too, means easy access to restaurants, shopping and work. Millennials as a group buy fewer cars than previous generations, partly because of debt, but also out of choice, so living close to those amenities is a major factor in choosing a place to live. All these sometimes contradictory characteristics paint a picture of a generation that sees the world through a different lens than their parents do: cautiously optimistic, but also keenly aware that things can crash at any time. They may not reject the traditional model of adulthood outright, but they’re certainly taking it with a grain of salt. That’s why Millennials can have such an impact on the world of real estate in general and home sales in particular. And for investors, understanding that impact and the reasons behind it can open doors for new opportunities to build wealth in rental real estate – as Jason Hartman advises.
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    4 mins
  • CW Blogcast 77 - Where Are The First Time Home Buyers?
    Jun 16 2015
    The recovery from the much publicized housing crash of a few years ago may be hitting a wall, thanks to declining numbers of a group that’s essential to a robust housing market: first time home buyers. Although the US housing market continues to show encouraging signs of emerging from the rubble of the 2008 collapse, its long term recovery depends on those first time buyers, who inject new life into the market not just by purchasing new and resale homes, but also by spending money after the purchase on a variety of consumer goods and services. Otherwise, the home buying and selling cycle becomes a closed loop that depends on existing homeowners making the move to sell their houses – and that’s slowing down too. Overall, the number of US homeowners is at its lowest level in over two decades. And according to new figures reported by Business Insider, the number of first time buyers stands at just 29 percent, down from 40 percent in 1980. Although real estate professionals and market watchers cite a number of factors keeping people from buying their first home, the main reasons are both simple and hard to address: availability and affordability. One sigh of a recovering housing market is the demand for homes to purchase, and in many areas of the country, demand is outstripping the inventory of available homes for purchase. That’s one reason for the steady rise in home prices – another sign of recovery. But the scarcity of homes for purchase, along with those rising prices, mean that first time buyers can’t find homes that they can afford. The shortfall in available housing has its roots in the wave of foreclosures that followed the housing crash, which pushed millions of homeowners into foreclosure. As those foreclosure proceedings crawled through the courts and financial institutions, the properties involved stayed off the market. The “foreclosure pipeline” cleared in fits and starts over the next few years, with some periods of higher inventory followed by shortfall. The problem was complicated by the efforts of mortgage servicers and brokers holding title to those foreclosed properties. After the crash, institutions including government mortgage giant Fannie Mae and major banks auctioned off their foreclosure holdings quickly in batches to large domestic and foreign investment companies, which used them as rentals. Those sales kept thousands of homes out of the hands of residential buyers as well as individual investors. What’s more, increasing numbers of existing homeowners, who might in past years have followed the typical pattern of buying a starter home and moving up to a bigger house as careers and finances matured, are opting to stay put. These homeowners are choosing not to sell for a variety of reasons. Rising home prices may mean that a seller could lose money on a sale, thanks to changes in capital gains taxes and trends in home values. And current low interest rates make refinancing and holding onto an existing home a more attractive option than buying another one. For those reasons, there’s a short supply of the lower priced starter homes most first time buyers can afford in the areas where they want to live. Most first time buyers are younger, with a median age of around 30. They’re largely members of that cash strapped millennial generation that’s burdened with student debt and unsure about their employment future. They’re reluctant to take on the commitment of a mortgage and a permanent residence – and they’re putting off life steps like marriage and family. For many, there are other hurdles too. Even though mortgage lending standards have loosened to encourage more first time buying, for those with heavy debt and uncertain finances, qualifying for a loan may be hard. And even if it’s possible to qualify, making that down payment requires resources they simply don’t have. Another factor is location. Lower cost housing tends to be in less desirable areas, far from the city centers where work and social life take place – and potential home buyers may not want to take on long, expensive commutes in order to own a home. The obstacles facing first time homebuyers aren’t limited to residential buyers. They also affect solo investors hoping to get started in income property investing. Equalizing access to housing and opening up more home for purchase may be a long term effort, but for now, the shortage of available homes to buy may keep the rental markets humming – and that’s good news for investors willing to diversify their holdings in multiple markets, the way Jason Hartman advises.
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    5 mins
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