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Yes, Virginia … there is a Santa Claus!  And he loves to represent buyers in foreclosure and make a ton of money.  So check out this amazing youtube video…Santa definitely showed up in Tennessee this year, early!  You have to see this!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTvvi311YDg

and then make sure you register for our upcoming Recession Proof Investing webinar!  There are 17 slots available, first come first serve:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/732240980

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The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales dropped 8.6% to 4.49 million in November, from a revised rate of 4.91 million in October.  This represents a 10.6% decline below the 5.02 million in November 2007.  Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, expected the decline. “The quickly deteriorating conditions in the job market, stock market, and consumer confidence in October and November have knocked down home sales to another level. We hope the home sales impact from the stock market crash turns out to be short-lived, as was the case in 1987 and 2001,” he said.

“It is, therefore, imperative to provide incentives for homebuyers to get back into the market. It also depends on how effectively Congress and the new administration can help facilitate the short sales process and unclog the mortgage pipeline – impediments remain for some buyers with good credit,” Yun said.

The Associated Press reported late yesterday that Representative Barney Frank, the Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, wants the final $300 billion installment released before President-elect Obama takes office.  Frank is looking to stiffen disclosure related to lending for banks that received TARP money that seem to be hoarding the money now.  In addition, Frank wants to allocate about $24 billion to back FDIC Chair Shelia Blair’s plan to encourage more lenders to modify loans.  And finally, Frank is supporting using government money, along with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to buy down long term 30-year mortgage rates to 4.5% or below, an effort widely seen as stimulating housing demand.

Frank’s buy-down effort is certainly good news for most real estate investors and Realtors.  And if comes on the heels on a shocking statistic about the failed government-backed loan modification called “Hope for Homeowners.”  This ridiculous program, which I’ve spent many an e-mail lambasting in the past, was supposed to help at least 400,000 homeowners.  Guess how many have bothered to even apply when it was launched on October 1^st?

312.

No, that’s not a typo.

Three hundred and twelve.

What a joke!  At some point the government is going to figure out that the key to solving the foreclosure crisis doesn’t rest solely with the supply side of the equation – they MUST stimulate demand with goodies like tax credits, accelerated depreciation, low interest rates, and government-backed loans.  Once you have demand, then guess what happens?   Prices begin to not only stabilize … but move up!  And when prices move up, less people go into foreclosure, and less people walk away from homes that are under equity.

Ok, enough of my soapbox.  You get the picture!  The Hope for Homeowners Program is truly hopeless.  Let’s hope they start focusing on where the focus needs to be: encouraging new buyers of homes and investment properties!

Setting Up for a New Year: Maintenance and Repair Index

This year make it a priority to set-up your books and other financial record-keeping to run smoothly and on auto-pilot. One useful measure is the maintenance and repair index. This shows how much maintenance and repair was required for each direct hour of labor invested.  It is an excellent alternative measure for short sale investors or real estate agents who need to track productive hours in relation to a given property. As every real estate investor knows, the 80-20 rule applies to real estate just as it does any other business situation; roughly 80 percent of your profit will come from 20 percent of your clients or holdings while 80 percent of your problems will come from only 20 percent of your holdings. Reducing those time-consuming properties and increasing those profitable properties is the key to building wealth.

How to Measure

Computing the Maintenance and Repair index is easy;

Maintenance and repair hours/Total direct labor hours = MRI

Example

Let’s assume you have two properties called A and B.

Maintenance and repairs for property A = 20. Total direct labor hours = 100. Total MRI = 20.

Maintenance and repairs for property B = 60. Total direct labor hours = 94. Total MRI = 60.

Obviously property B requires extensively more time for upkeep, maintenance and repairs. By calculating the MRI then assigning a dollar value to invested hourly time required, you can assure a reasonable return on time and opportunity cost while avoiding or eliminating poor performers.

How to Use

At least once per year, every short sale investor and real estate agent should take stock in their best and worst performers then cut the bottom 10 percent. Yes, it can be frightening to eliminate clients or inventory during tough economic times but the reality is you need to work smarter – not harder –when times are tough. Think of it this way, you only have x hours in any given day so they must be the most product possible. Clients or holdings that require unusual amounts of time, energy or maintenance actually detract from your full potential by causing you to miss other more profitable endeavors.  By continually maximizing your efficiency and reducing expenses –both in terms of time and money – you will be better positioned to take advantage of new opportunities as they arise.

See you at the top!

Chris McLaughlin
http://www.shortsalesriches.com/blog

P.S.:   Don’t miss our webinar tonight, Tuesday, at 9 PM EST!  We’re holding this Recession Proof Real Estate Investing webinar once again on a weekend to accommodate all those who are unable to join us at night!  Click here, there are only 17 spots available:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/732240980