News flash: Real estate is in a downturn. Prices are dropping. Does this mean that you should get out of Real Estate investing? No this is actually the BEST TIME to increase your property portfolio. When you are buy property it does not really matter whether the market is up or down unless you are trying to do a fast turn over. If you are holding for the long term then you have to deal with the market fluctuations with an inevitable upward trend at some point. If you can buy at the lower end of the cycle that is the best time to buy of course.

When the real estate market is experiencing a downturn it is the best time to buy. Just check the foreclosure lists and auctions. You can pick and choose and buy normally below market value. However, keep an eye on your monthly bottom line. In other words make sure your rental income (from your new investment) equals or exceeds your outgoing including mortgage repayments. If you have other income you may be able to stand an extra $100 or more per month to top up the mortgage but try to avoid it. You will sleep far better at night knowing that the mortgage payments are taken care of.

If the property market is rising you can be confident that the value of your investment is increasing. That is where your profit is and you should be able to sell if necessary. However, that was a few years ago when the market was more positive but now the reality is that the market has dropped and you need to be able to hold long term without any worries. It may take a few years before we hit healthy real estate selling conditions again, let alone a property boom.

Several investors that started during the “boom” now have to change how they are thinking about investing. This is the time when we separate “those who can from those who got lucky and made a few bucks”. Now is when the long term hold plans must start becoming the focus. This is a business. You need to do the math. Will your income from your investment cover the expenses/new mortgage?

Taking the current market woes in to consideration, the fact that now is a great time to buy and hold for the long term, goes without saying. Due diligence is the key for the next few years. Now is the time to look at buying for long term gains.

Doc Schmyz has invested all over the US. His free website shares Real estate investing information for all over the US. Find real estate information by state

If you have already heard the term reverse mortgage, it still sounds a little odd. If this is the first time you are hearing the term, it will probably sound like some kind of shady deal. Reverse mortgages are becoming more popular these days, but are they scams or are they legitimate?Is it really possible to sell your house back to the bank and still retain the deed to it? Will the bank really pay YOU the mortgage payments? Let’s review what a reverse mortgage is so these questions can be answered.

The name is somewhat misleading. A reverse mortgage is a loan that is structured like a mortgage, with YOU as the lender and the BANK as the buyer. In the U.S., homeowners wanting to initiate a reverse mortgage must be at least 62 years old, and own all or most of their home. The qualifications may differ in other countries. These backwards mortgages are usually performed through a bank or broker. The senior citizen homeowner essentially sells his or her house to the bank, in return for receiving periodic mortgage payments. Sometimes the payments can be structured as a lump sum, line of credit, or a combination of the three methods.

Why would retired persons want to have a reverse mortgage? It provides a constant and dependable stream of retirement income. Many retirement plans such as 401(K) or Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) generally increase in value, but are still tied to stock market interest rates. The amount of money they provide during retirement can vary. Social Security, Medicare, and other U.S. government programs have endangered funding, so they may not be reliable sources of income. A reverse mortgage can supplement a senior citizen’s income. The amount depends on the homeowner’s age, equity of the house, interest rate on the loan, closing fees, and a few other factors.

A common misconception about the reverse mortgage is that the bank eventually owns your house. This is not true! The deed remains in your name throughout the entire term of the process. Note that there is interest on the loan payments, but it is deferred until the loan is repaid.

The homeowner can remain living in the house during the entire term of the reverse mortgage. The loan becomes due when the homeowner moves out, or becomes deceased. At those times, the survivors/heirs can repay the loan themselves if they want to keep the house. They can also sell the home and repay the loan plus the interest in full. The money paid to the homeowner as mortgage payments must be repaid to the lender when the loan becomes due.

These odd mortgages can provide much needed financial support during retirement. It is a time when medical costs are likely to increase, so an additional source of income can really help. Use a reverse mortgage to help yourself or your aging relatives to gain the financial security in retirement that they worked so hard to achieve.

Doc Schmyz has invested all over the US and Mexico. His free website shares Real estate investing information for all over the US. Find real estate information by state

At every real estate convention, boot camps, or seminars the issue of marketing comes up at least once if not a hundred times. Someone will mention Facebook (which is a whole different story) and this is always closely followed by a comment about Twitter. So… let’s decide is Twitter worth it? If it IS worth it, how can investors best use it for profitable results? First, lets look at just what Twitter is and what it can do for your advertising efforts.

Twitter.com is a website that anyone can make a profile and become a “micro-blogger”. Twitter is like an original blog (aka web-log) in that it allows you say anything you desire to say to anyone and everyone that will see it – with a single exception. Twitter only lets you to express yourself–0 letters at a time. So it’s a little similar to using you cell phone to send the world a text message. When you identify a profile of a person whose Twitter posts (called “tweets”) you can “follow” that person – whenever they put up something new, it will show up on your Twitter home screen. If someone locates YOUR profile and follows YOU, then you will be notified that that person is “following” you. Now that you know the basics, let’s look at making this a useful and PROFITABLE avenue for you.

Because the old saying “Out of sight, out of mind” is absolutely true, you’ll need to remain active with your “tweeting”. You should be posting at a minimum, once a day. Find something to “tweet” specific to real estate – something that your “followers” will find useful. If you just start sending info about homes you have for sale, it probably will not get you as far as you planned. Think about it this way – when was the last time you opened and really read an email from someone attempting to sell you something?

If you give your followers information they can use or information they find interesting (even if it ISN’T about real estate) then you’ll have an opportunity to keep their attention. When you gain their trust, they’ll be more willing to consider what you have to say when you do offer them a property you have listed.

Twitter, like other social networking sites, is a great way to connect with people – just keep in mind that they’re people and want to be treated like people. They aren’t dollar signs. So connect! when someone follows you, send them a short personal message letting them know you appreciate it.

Remember that being real with others and giving thoughtful content is what Twitter is made for – the profit will follow if you treat people like people and post routinely so that your Twitter marketing is constantly on the radar! The more you “Tweet”, the larger your following will become – and the larger your following, the better your opportunities of communicating with a person who is interested in making a deal – which, of course, means a greater opportunity for you to profit!

REOGoldMiner.com is a site that allows you identify REO deals and valuate them at the click of a button. We have a passion for Real Estate, internet marketing, and helping investors become the most success they can be in their real estate business.