http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Strategic-Home-Buying-blog.html Why Underground Strategic Home Buying blog ? You get the newest, most relevant and actionable info available from over 20 REI gurus that I follow, plus anything I'm doing without opening your wallet. en-us Strategic Home Buying Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:31:22 GMT Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:31:22 GMT strategic-home-buying.com http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/real-estate-internet-marketing.html Learn these 5 secrets to Real Estate internet Marketing Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:22:37 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/fire-your-boss.html NEW Free report reveals the Amazingly simple Real Estate Investing system so You can Fire Your Boss Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:10:17 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-real-estate-investors.html Secrets Calgary Real Estate Investors Need to Know. Solid Investments & Great Advice! Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:53:52 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-rent-to-own.html Does Anyone Really do Calgary Rent to Own these days? Learn the pro's and con's of a rent to own, whether you are buying or selling Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:11:53 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/index.html Want to Be a Real Estate Investor? Strategic Home Buying will teach show How to make money in Calgary's volitile Real Estate market Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:29:44 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/shane.html Can Shane help You get 12-15 ROI on your Real Estate investments? Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:15:33 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/investing-in-calgary.html Learn how to invest in Calgary. Investing in Calgary real estate will set you apart from the thousands of wanna-be Calgary investors Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:55:19 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-home-listings.html Find Calgary Home Listings Most of the homes found here are exclusive to me and my network of contacts, available free to you Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:06:36 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/contact-shane.html Contact Shane for any questions you have regarding real estate Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:47:34 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/sell-your-calgary-home.html Sell your Calgary home quickly, even if your in foreclosure. Creative real estate selling advice you can use without a Realtor. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:21:51 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Strategic-Home-Buying-blog.html#Full-Time-Investing--Its-about-time! I've made the decision to go full time investing! It's a pretty exciting time for me as I'll no longer have the security and routine of the 'Day Job". It will also allow me more time to dedicate to my site, adding important updates and linking to some great RE investors that I think youll benefit from. After 5 years of part-time investing it was time to cut the umbilical cord. I thought that it would be one of those choices- like after you break up with someone, you get that buyers remorse (or whatever they call it). I can say that Ive never felt better and burning the ships in the harbor (an Old Persian war-time story) so I have no retreat back to my desk job will no doubt prove to me my best investing/life decision to date. More on the transition later- good luck investing! Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:42:20 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Strategic-Home-Buying-blog.html Who can you trust in the Calgary Rent to Own market place? I have spent the past 7 months meeting with different investors, Realtors, and small companies- all proclaiming to specialize in Rent to Own. Until today, I had not met one that I could in good conscious recommend to you. Today Kathryn and I met for a coffee (after playing phone tag for a week or so)- finally someone on the same page. We have decided to work together to help Calgarians find homes that they could not otherwise qualify for. If your interested, please feel free to contact me (best to fill out a form on my site) and I'll be sure to explain how we can help. If you're not familiar with rent to owns, I have a good explanation on my website or you can keep reading; i) Rent to own is unilateral contract. That means that you have the option to purchase, you are not bound to buy. If the value of houses continues to fall, don't exercise your option to buy. (if you are familiar with Stock options- they are very similar) ii) If a seller is a real prick, and doesn't want to sell you the house in a year because his/her house goes up in value a $100k, then be prepared to go to court. The best way to protect yourself (if this happens) - is to register your right to buy the house on title. Some sellers allow you to do this, others will not. So long as you have a Purchase and Sale agreement with the vendor you should be protected. Youll also want to make sure that you abide by the Terms and conditions of the lease and purchase contract you sign. Good luck, Shane Thu, 22 May 2008 16:31:09 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-foreclosure-list.html Find the latest Calgary Foreclosure List here. Updated weekly, you will have access to the most recent bankruptcy, pre foreclosures and foreclosures in Calgary Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:52:33 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Strategic-Home-Buying-blog.html#Should-You-invest-in-Calgary-Real-Estate? Last night my real estate buddy and I sat down at Starbucks to chat about getting back into the Calgary real estate game. I have been skeptical over the past 6 months, not sure how much of a correction the market would take. Investing in a depreciating market is not the best way to build wealth- especially if youre buying rental properties that don't cash flow. So what did we decide? 1) We are looking for properties that will break even on cash flow (mortgage, taxes, condo fees= rent) 2) Only buy houses and condo's under $400k (I still think the cookie cutter houses that sold for $500k last year have a little more room to drop). 3) Hold long term- rentals 4) Any flips- need at least $50k of room to profit. Why? Considering that Realtor fees will run me about $15k, closing costs (both ways) at least $2,000, holding costs of $4-5k, potential market correction of 1-4 in the next 6 months could lower the sale price by 5-20k easily. That's it- those are the Coles notes on what I am doing these days in Calgary. Take care, Shane Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:12:29 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Strategic-Home-Buying-blog.html#Bought-a-house-last-year-and-Now-You-NEED-to-sell? Getting alot of Calgary folks calling me these days, with the same pains- "I bought a new house or condo last year and I need to sell fast" Here's a bit of advice I learned from a successful Real Estate investor/Realtor in Florida- Heather Seitz 1. Look at the houses listed now, which ones have pending sales and what houses have sold in the last 3 months (Calgary is getting very competitive). 2. You MUST Price your property below the competition (ignore any blowout sales or foreclosures- they are not true market values) In your ad (or on MLS if you have a Realtor) say something like this "This is the lowest priced property in the neighborhood that is NOT A foreclosure) 4. List it with a Realtor that is going to market the hell out of your house- online, Craigslist, websites, newspapers, flyers, etc. 5. Hold open houses Saturday and Sunday and put AT LEAST 15 signs out directing people to the property! Good luck Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:13:52 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/8-secrets-to-renting.html 8 Secrets on How to Protect Youself when renting in Calgary You can also use this advice if you are looking to do rent to owns When you start your Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:05:16 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/alberta-oil-gas-recession-in-08.html Understanding Energy In Alberta: Why We Have a Conventional Oil & Gas Recession in 2008, and Why It May Get Worse! Paul Ziff, CEO, Ziff Energy Group Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:08:53 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Strategic-Home-Buying-blog.html#Canadians-buying-US-properties I wanted to give a quick update as to what I currently involved in- as it relates to investing in real estate. Over the past 2 months I have been focused on finding successful investors who have been buying houses south of the border at $0.40-0.65 on the dollar. I have structured my first limited partnership to venture into the US and once we get our houses under contract I'll let you know how everything worked out. The last piece of the puzzle- what is the best way to refinance the properties once we pay cash for them? If you have bought a house in the US and have any ideas or advice, please let me know. Good luck investors and I'll keep you in the loop! Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:59:23 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/royalty-math-not-adding-up.html I work with the Small Explorers & Producers Association of Canada with about 450 mostly junior oil and gas companies in our membership. I hope the Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:53:06 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-real-estate.html I work with the Small Explorers & Producers Association of Canada with about 450 mostly junior oil and gas companies in our membership. I hope the following illustration of the cost and return on investment climate in Alberta's petroleum sector in 2008 will help. Think of the oil & gas industry as being in the land development business. The developer buys land (petroleum and natural gas leases) and then 'develops' this land through capital investment in drilling, building pipelines, roads, compressor stations, sour gas plants, etc. Then they sell off a portion of their developed land base every year (by selling the produced petroleum or gas). Each year the developer's asset base is smaller and his company is therefore smaller than it was the year before unless he goes out each year and buys more land (at today's prices) and drills and builds roads and pipelines, etc. also at today's prices. To read more go to Investing Tips at strategic-home-buying.com Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:43:04 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/real-estate-investing-story.html Quick, true story on how 2 Real Estate Investors got their start and where they are today Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:05:03 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-realtors.html How Should You Pick a Calgary Realtor ? Is there a difference between the 5,642 Calgary Realtors, and will You notice? Wed, 13 Feb 2008 17:08:14 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-home-buying.html 12 Calgary Home Buying Secrets and Mistakes most Common for Calgary Investors... and how to avoid them Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:59:04 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-foreclosure.html What are Your options if your in Calgary Foreclosure Don't wait to long when you receive your Notice of Default Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:41:32 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/foreclosure-process.html Learn the Foreclosure Process and Understand your Options before it's too late and your screwed Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:35:15 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/preconstruction.html With so much hype around preconstruction, Investors need to be well informed before throwing their money away. Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:58:37 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-real-estate.html Calgary Real Estate Story's- Investors tell how they bought and sold real estate in 2007 and what they are doing in 2008 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:53:26 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/blog I am opening a webpage up for you to tell my readers how you did last year. Why would I do this and how does this help you? -I think the best way to learn is through doing. Investing in real estate is not as easy as the Guru's would have you believe. So I am asking real Calgary Investors to share their experiences with the readers of Strategic Home Buying. -You are free to share good or bad ones. -I really think that real investors sharing what they have done last years, (good or bad) will have a bigger impact than reading anther $2,000 course from a Guru who's been investing for 20 years. Let's face facts- when you are just starting out and a seller in foreclosure contacts you to buy their home and help them out before the bank takes their house and they're living on the street- unless you've done even 1 deal, you might be a little intimated to follow through. Sometimes all it takes is that 1 deal to have the confidence to start your career as an investor. So if you are doing deals- share them. If your new and have a question- post them. The webpage dedicated to this will be called Investing Storys. If I was more creative, I probably could have called it something else. Take care, Shane Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:18:35 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-real-estate-projections.html 2008 Calgary Real Estate Projections Do you know these 5 dangerous issues facing Calgary Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:04:35 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Strategic-Home-Buying-blog.html If youre like me and always looking for new ways to attract sellers, this is for you. Ask any Investor or talk to anyone looking to invest and they inevitable ask "How do you find motivated Sellers"? Through my mastermind group and discussions with various successful investors (mainly in the US), there is a new way of doing business. Most professional investors are not focusing on only one type of motivated seller. Let me explain. There is no doubt that a motivated seller is going to be the most profitable, short term. So if you are looking to fix and flip or wholesale- then you need to buy substantially under market value. But, what do you do with the other 90 or so, of sellers that do not or can not accept a piss poor, low-ball offer? If your goal is strictly to make money-you will miss out on a huge opportunity of sellers that need various types of help. If you notice on this site, my goal is to structure deals that are win-win for my investors and sellers. This means that sometimes an investor will buy a home at or slightly above market value. Why would they do this? Just to help out the seller? Yes and No. When an investor has the opportunity to buy the house with no money down they have more options available to sell the house. For example- The investor could do a rent to own or an assumable, thus charging a 5-10 premium. The seller is happy to be out of the deal, as they couldn't afford the Realtor fees and/or 76 days to sell with a conventional Realtor. The point is, even if you do not want to be a landlord, or assume someones mortgage- you can still help them. Refer them on to an investor that specializes in those types of deals (its how I do at least half of my business right now- and I pay well for referrals). When you refer a seller on, you may or may not make a referral commission. So you help someone that really needs help and you don't get paid for it- that's the worst case scenario. Every time you help out a seller and investor, you are establishing yourself as the go to person. In the long term you will be rewarded. Im not going to get all "Golden Rule" on you, but look around and youll see that the truly successful investors are the guys and gals that help the most people. Hope this helped. Shane Melanson P.S Im taking a new course on a specific method to attract really motivated sellers. I can't say too much now, as it's pretty intense and I'm still learning. Once I put it to use, I'll give you the low down. Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:03:34 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/sell-my-home-fast.html Are you looking for all your options on selling your House. Sell My Home Fast is made for anyone looking for options on how to sell their home Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:46:52 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Strategic-Home-Buying-blog.html What the hell happened on the TSX and World Markets January 21, 2008? Having my stock portfolio drop a cool 7.4 yesterday, I decided to do a little research. I know this is a real estate website- but these external economic factors defiantly play a part in Calgary's economy. Let's look at the facts: The S&P Energy Index sector was within 2points of losing all its gains in 2007. My thoughts- over reaction. Last night at football, I told some of the guys- this is the time to buy. Following the crowds down is pretty much the best place to lose money. Sometimes the contrarian (although not always popular) makes the biggest gains. I am not an expert in the stock market; I stay on top of what is going on worldwide because Calgary is so heavily tied to Oil and Gas. When the markets make that much of move in one day, interest rates drop .25 in Canada and .75 in the US (pretty much unheard of)- you have to ask yourself what will this do Calgary's housing market. If your a new buyer or on a variable interest rate- good news. Lower interest rates means more buying power. -It can also lead to inflation. -When the US lowers their interest rates more than we do by 0.50, our dollar rises. Some people like this, others (who mainly export) do not. Our biggest export- Oil. Alright, long enough blog entry today, if you'd like to comment please drop me an email. I'm not a market expert- so youre getting my own interpretations of what I see going on. Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:48:50 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/seller-form.html Seller Form, I will make an Offer on your house in 24 hours Guaranteed Mon, 07 Jan 2008 01:03:29 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-real-estate-agent.html An unbiased review of the best realtors in Calgary. How to pick a Calgary Real Estate Agent Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:02:18 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-real-estate-news.html The latest Calgary Real Estate News - Is it a good time to Buy or Sell? Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:00:11 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/real-estate-links.html Real Estate Links for Buyers and Sellers in most cites across the United States and Canada Sat, 05 Jan 2008 23:18:49 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/home-buying.html 5 Home Buying Secrets Realtors rarely tell you. These are critical if you are buying a home in 2008 Sat, 05 Jan 2008 23:16:14 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/calgary-homes-for-sale.html Your free access to Calgary homes for sale not yet listed! Check them out today for free, with no strings attached Sat, 05 Jan 2008 21:34:03 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/beginner-guide-real-estate-investing.html The Secret Beginner Guide Real Estate Investing. A Guide to show you the quickest and safest way to make $5,000/month Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:37:07 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/real-estate-millionaire.html 5 Steps to becoming a Real Estate Millionaire in 1 Year. Buying apartments is the fasted way I have seen investors make millions Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:01:05 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/real-estate-services-for-calgary-investors.html Real Estate Services for Calgary Investors is dedicated to helping investors market their properties and sell them faster than they would using conventional Realtor services Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:47:00 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Calgary-Commercial-Real-Estate.html Dirty Secrets You need to Know about Calgary Commercial Real Estate Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:36:37 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/5th-edition-investing-in-real-estate.html Did You Buy the 5th Edition Investing In Real Estate? Are you wasting your time and money on this book? Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:35:02 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Strategic-Home-Buying-blog.html#Calgary-Real-Estate-Prices-Dropping-or-Correcting? I am selling a friend and Investors house in the SW of Calgary. He is concerned with some houses on the market and some of the really motivated sellers dropping prices so they can sell. Here is what I wrote- "Definitely a good time to be buying. You should see some of the 2-Storey places in Signal Hill and Signature Park with double attached garages selling in the mid $500's. You are correct- great time to buy. If you have a decent house, and a good price, they are still selling. I think that sellers options are (depending on the situation): #1 The Motivated Seller 1) Sell quickly- before market corrects a little more (as more sellers are forced to sell, you will see prices drop in the short term) #2 Real Investors Seller- Can afford to hold (maybe as long as 6 months). Wait until many of the "troubled sellers" drop there prices and exit the market. Great time to be looking for cash-flowable properties and fixer uppers. My 2-cents" No one as a crystal ball, but the dynamics in Calgary show no reason why prices should fall. If you are patient and smart- you can capitalize on some very good deals right now! For any information on investing in Calgary Real Estate- email me - shane-@strategic-home-buying.com ) or call me @ (403) 681-6021 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 22:19:52 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Strategic-Home-Buying-blog.html#Vacant-Houses? I'm seeing a trend here in Calgary. If you've been looking to buy a house maybe you've experienced the same thing. Vacant houses- almost all the houses, that where once rental units, are vacant. Wonder why? Maybe its because the buyers (most of these places where bought less than a year ago and for more than they where worth) never considered worst case scenarios. QUESTION to the newbie Investor: What if the market doesn't go up 18 in 4 months and you do nothing to this house, how will you pay the mortgage? ANSWER: Ill sell fast and for a small profit. Wrong- youll sell slow and wait for the market to tell you what its worth- and it sure is heck aint what you paid for it in the booming market 6-12 months ago! Most newbie investors are fair whether at best, and that is going to give Real Investors a great opportunity to make some nice acquisitions. So to sum it up- if you are a Real Investor and looking to make some wise investments- now is the time. And if you need a Realtor- now is the time to call me at (403) 681-6021 or email me at shane@strategic-home-buying.com. Gook luck Investors! Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:55:33 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Strategic-Home-Buying-blog.html#Whats-Next-in-Calgary-Real-Estate It's Mid-August and the listings keep piling up! More sellers= better deals for BUYERS. If I where buying (which I am, I guess that also means I'm selling) then I'd be looking for the really motivated sellers. You know the 'Newbie Investors' I talk about, that thought they couldn't go wrong buying a run down piece of crap. Thought, hmm... maybe I'll buy this half-million $ tear down and sit on it for 3 months, turn around and sell it to a developer for $550,000. WRONG! If you've been following construction costs and land values- you'd know that unless over half of Calagarians are bringing in $150,000/year, which maybe these luxury homes might not be in such high demand. Anyway, I get going on these things, when I take clients out to look at $475,000, 825sq/ft junkers that can't be rented, to expensive to fix and sit on busy streets (so no builder is going to buy them). As a buyer- make sure you've done your home work. If you have any questions contact me at shane@strategic-home-buying.com Later, Shane Melanson Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:26:32 GMT http://www.strategic-home-buying.com/Strategic-Home-Buying-blog.html#First-Blog Hey Everyone, I say everyone, but I might be the only one reading this. I'm not a typical blogger- hell I don't even know what a typical blog looks like. I get the impression it ussually a bunch of filler- so my goal is only write when there is something useful to say. My tip today- When buying a fixer upper, make sure you are buying it a low enough price that your reno's are not going to put your house at the high end of the neighborhood. Getting the crap house on nice street is great- but if the reno's you need exceed the price range for the neighborhood- you'll never get your money out. Example Avg price of house on street is $450,000 You find a junker for $420,000 and needs cosmetic work. Problem is the house is 2000sq/ft and the reno's just to make it look good are going to be $18,000 (on the conservative side). You add in realtor fees and closing costs both ways (buying and selling) and you'll need to sell the house for about $475,000 to make any money. Even if the house is nicer then the neighbors, a home buyer is most interested in price and will pass your house if there are comparables for cheaper. Moral- Know your market and get a Realtor that isn't going to BS you into buying it even if it a bit of deal Remeber, you're the one who's ass is on the line. Till next time Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:18:27 GMT