Many real estate investors are attracted to the idea of enrolling their spouse’s assistance in their businesses. For some it results in an incredibly profitable super power partnership and brings them closer together. For others it just brings stress and major relationship confrontations.

So should you get into flipping houses with your spouse, avoid it like the plague and if you do take the leap how can you make it work successfully?

The Pros of Real Estate Investing with Your Spouse:

• Low cost help
• A partner and teammate you can trust
• Not having to share the wealth with other partners
• Sending more time together
• Fully supported in what you are doing
• Achieving results and goals faster
• A partner who compliments you and may have strengths you don’t

The Cons of Real Estate Investing with Your Spouse:

• No diversity in household income
• Together all the time
• Potential for major confrontation when emotions effect business
• Temptation to put more personal income and assets on the line than prudent
• No separation of work and home
• When personal or business relationship goes bad it all falls apart together

Ensuring a Successful Investment Partnership Together

Besides weighing the above pros and cons it is important for couples to really determine their passion for real estate investing and what roles they will assume. If your partner isn’t as hot on it as you are it will likely lead to them letting you down, you becoming frustrated at their performance and potentially be devastating for your relationship.

Take your time to talk it over. Define who will lead and if one of you should deal with certain elements of the business rather than the other. Perhaps one of you is better behind the scenes and dealing with the numbers and the other being the networker and dealing with face to face interaction. Perhaps one of you could get a real estate license?

Despite how much you both think it is a great idea to work on flipping houses together now recognize things can change and people’s passions can change. Layout a framework for what to do when priorities alter or it isn’t working out so that you can amicably adjust without it destroying your personal relationship. Maintain great communication above all else and recognize when it is time to replace them. Otherwise if things aren’t great at home it will affect your real estate investing profits and income and snowball into something worse.

How can you build big buyers’ lists of your own to flip more real estate faster?

Having lists of potential buyers to market to easily, quickly and cost effectively makes flipping houses a breeze and puts bringing in large lump sums of cash on autopilot.

Investors who have access to plenty of buyers can flip all the homes they want by capitalizing on transactional lending for 100% financing for their real estate deals.

Buying leads used to be much less expensive and far more reliable but it is no longer viable or highly profitable for most real estate investors. Fortunately there are at least 7 other methods for cultivating sizable lists of home buyer prospects for less…

1. Website Opt-In Forms

Building email lists via website opt-in forms is one of the most popular methods today. This can be done by offering newsletters or reports in exchange for email addresses. However, in order to be effective must be prominently placed and flow prospects further into the funnel.

2. Blogging

Blogging is a great way to both attract new prospects and build a list of prospects for ongoing marketing. Plus it also makes it easier for visitors to share your real estate services with others.

3. In-Person Networking

Everywhere you go there are people who want and need to buy houses. Plus, no matter where you live there are bound to be at least several professional networking events hosted every month. Don’t try too hard to close the deal on the spot, focusing on collecting contacts and setting appointments.

4. Put on Events for Home Buyers

Hosting home buyers education classes, as well as seminars, webinars and expos can all be great ways to draw hundreds or even thousands of buyers at one time and capture all of their contact details.

5. Social Media

Social media networks offer an easy and even fun way of building huge buyers lists very quickly and often without huge investments. New home inventory can be instantly broadcast across social networks to fans and followers wherever they are, though savvy real estate investors will also set up systems which demand more visitors lock in and provide alternate contact information for other forms of reaching them as well.

6. Signs

Using toll free numbers or text messages all types of signs can be used to capture caller information and alternate contact details for alerting buyers to the availability of future deals.

7. Use Other People’s Lists

Real estate investors often get frustrated at the time it takes them to build sizable lists of their own from scratch while more resourceful investors have found that they can actually cross promote with other companies and tap into their lists immediately, often without shelling out an upfront investment.

As an investor flipping houses should you be focused on raising funding or finding deals first?

Newer real estate investors are often conflicted on this question. What’s the point in finding real estate deals if you don’t have the money to buy them and how can you really line up funding you can be confident in if you don’t have a live deal to present?

So which come first in this ‘chicken and the egg’ scenario? Could it even be neither of the above?

While it may be understandable that new real estate investors can be confused, especially when they have been given misinformation or out of date strategies, it really doesn’t have to be difficult. Yes, real estate agents will want to see proof of funds or a mortgage preapproval letter before presenting your offer to their clients or even showing you homes. At the same time hard money lenders aren’t that helpful unless a real deal is being presented and many investors are (needlessly) afraid of approaching private lenders without something for them to loan on immediately.

It shouldn’t be hard because there is a ton of money out there desperate to be borrowed for real estate deals, especially for those flipping houses with transactional funding. That’s in addition to more than $6 billion private equity firms are sitting on because they can’t buy enough homes fast enough according to Bloomberg.

What real estate investors really ought to be focusing on today is finding more end buyers. Providing you have the buyers you can flip all the houses you want all day long. There are plenty more foreclosures and other types of distressed homes hitting the market. So the only thing holding investors back is chasing buyers so that they can cash out and get onto the next deal. With flash funding available for quick flips turning around 10 properties a month shouldn’t be difficult at all, not when there are so many buyers entering the market.

Real estate investors don’t even need to worry about getting pre-qualified for funding when it comes to utilizing transactional funding for financing the acquisition of houses they are flipping. This is because these lenders do not require income or asset verification, or appraisals and do not loan based on credit. They will also provide both proof of funds and stamped VOD letters to arm investors with all the buying power they need to go out and lock down the best deals.

Economists and analysts have been busy announcing the arrival of stagflation but despite some investors leaning towards rentals is flipping houses still the smartest real estate investment strategy?

Stagflation occurs when the economy is seeing incredibly slow or stagnant growth, while inflation and unemployment rise. Clearly there is no arguing that this is the position we are in now. So what does this mean for real estate investors?

Besides the above our current economy is suffering from weak returns on investments for individuals from almost every area. Even tech hasn’t saved anyone, as seen from the recent Facebook debacle.

This has pushed an incredible number of people to investing in real estate for better returns. Many have been swarming to buy and hold rental properties; following the conventional wisdom that real estate outperforms inflation and offers additional tax advantages. They certainly appear to be right as both rents and home prices appear to be rising.

However, most individuals are poorly prepared to become landlords. Most have no idea how time consuming and stressful it can really be as well as the risks that come along with it. Many are even far over paying for their properties as they follow misleading trends in the news. Those who opt for ‘turnkey deals’ frequently end up paying over market value, while others turning to REITs or vehicles with cumbersome management structures find returns eroded by additional costs and higher volatility more prevalent.

Real estate investors also need to keep an ear to the ground as to what the government may do to push a correction in the economy and the fallout effects stagflation is having on other factors.

Normally dropping interest rates is the answer for battling high inflation. Of course we are already at record low rates, without realizing any real growth from the stimulus efforts. Countering slow growth by raising rates dramatically may be the only option, which would in turn encourage deposits and then hopefully more lending.  However, between Europe, the election, weak consumer confidence and a lack of access to mortgages there is still quite a bit of uncertainty in the market to say the least.

All factors are currently lined up for the best opportunities for flipping houses. The continued presence of discounted homes and rising home prices as well as demand means buying low and selling high is a breeze for real estate wholesalers.

However, what many overlook is the advantages of minimizing or eliminating risk through flipping real estate as a primary strategy. Short hold times combined with the availability of 100% financing in the form of transactional funding means investors face a tiny fraction of the risk of other strategies, if any at all, while enjoying fast cash coming in.

Both flipping houses and investing in mortgage notes have raised in popularity in the last year. Which is the better real estate investment and why?

The Rise of Real Estate Note Investing

The interest and hype around mortgage note investing has rocketed in the last 18 months. This isn’t a new form of real estate investment; it has been used by savvy investors for years. However, with a lack of other deals, poorly performing other types of investments, being far too scary to leave too much capital in the bank and a desire for simplicity it has caught on with many more individuals than the early 2000 boom years. Though of course much of the noise is stemming from those who were involved in other facets of the real estate or mortgage business before and need a way to make up for lost income.

Note buying can be a great move for some. It offers above average returns, hands-free investing and passive income for retirement secured by a real asset. This makes it a great choice for those nearing or at retirement age who have all the savings they need and just want to achieve more income while they are finally off enjoying their freedom.

So what’s the downside, why weren’t more individuals chasing this real estate investment strategy before?

There are two main drawbacks of note investing. The first is that it can be extremely complicated and risky for investors who don’t understand all of the complexities of what makes sound note investment. The second is that these notes only throw off income and offer no capital growth.

When Flipping Houses Trumps Note Buying

Flipping houses has become more popular recently not just due to reality TV but all of the right conditions lining up for acquiring bargain deals and turning them over for a handsome profit.

Flipping houses is generally considered the fast money strategy. This is ideal for those needing to make large amounts of cash now to catch up on retirement savings and who want to enjoy a better lifestyle in the short term. This if often more critical to future financial security than most realize as the amount of money required to retire often far exceeds expectations.

This is also the best strategy for those who don’t have much of a nest egg to start with. In fact using transactional funding new investors can get started with no money down.

With Facebook stock still tumbling since IPO is marketing on the social giant still worth while for real estate investors?

In its second week since going public the value of the world’s largest social network continued to crash, falling almost 10% yesterday and over $35 billion in value in the last couple weeks. Announcement of a new acquisition of Face.com by the social network for $100 million may pose some marketing benefits from more detailed data in the long run. However, the addition of the facial recognition software could also pose a major threat in terms of privacy and more privacy lawsuits.

The blogosphere has also been buzzing with debate on how long Facebook will continue to remain intact, maintain its dominance and be a profitable marketing channel.

Big news was made out of GM’s pulling its $10 million Facebook ad budget just before the IPO. Though we also know the auto maker is still spending tens of millions on its Facebook pages and managing its profiles. So what does this all mean for real estate investors?

The truth is that while social and PPC advertising may not be perfect for industry they are both highly effective and extremely profitable for real estate investing when done right. Of course social is now also a major factor for and critical to SEO. It doesn’t matter what other tactics real estate investors use, if they aren’t using Facebook in a big way their chances of getting to and staying at the top of the search engines is slim.

So for now investors flipping houses and attempting to generate more leads and build better brands Facebook marketing is an absolute must. However, this doesn’t mean just having a presence is going to bring a tsunami of buyer and seller leads nor keep you in 1st place on Google and Bing. Winning the business via social means and having a quality presence which is visually appealing, managed daily with plenty of posting and conversation going on and with all the tools for maximizing lead capture. Not sure what a great presence should look like? Perhaps it is wise for investors to check out just how much others are doing with their pages. Some are turning their Facebook profiles into complete websites.

Facebook may be around forever or it could get crushed by lawsuits in a year from now. In order for real estate investors to maximize ROI and revenues while minimizing the threat of any interruptions in income or leads it is essential to have a diverse marketing mix. This means using multiple social networks, developing mobile campaigns, keeping on top of trends, not keeping all eggs in one basket and perhaps engaging in offline marketing too while holding a reserve to jump on emerging marketing trends.

Despite the Facebook IPO flop many real estate investors are certainly wishing they were in Mark Zuckerberg’s shoes right now or at least have a dozen Silicon Valley properties to flip to the company’s founders and key staff. Who couldn’t find a use for a few extra billion right now?

So what lessons should real estate investors be taking away from Facebook’s legendary IPO if they want to build incredibly valuable businesses and make a few billion of their own? There are good and bad lessons to takeaway here for building a company that is salable and watching out for some major pitfalls.

Those investors who dream of this type of wealth have to recognize the need to go big in their businesses. If you want a billion dollar company you need billion dollar revenues. If you don’t plan for this build scalable systems and set those goals from the beginning it is unlikely this type of value will ever be reached.

Be careful about making enemies. You may enjoy snubbing others when you show up in your hoodie for business meetings but it may bite you in the butt later. Too much hype and attacks on larger and better funded competitors can also bite back at the worst possible moment – like IPO day.

On clearly fatal flaw made by Facebook has been its neglect of those who really turn in the revenues. Treat your advertisers, affiliates, buyers and sellers right and deliver great returns for investors. Help them win and they will be loyal when it counts.

Perhaps the biggest nail in the coffin of the Facebook IPO was a revision of documents warning about future potential revenue issues stemming from consumer trends towards mobile. This means real estate investors should not only be using social and maintaining their Facebook pages but get serious about mobile apps, local SEO and mobile marketing.

Obviously the opening stock price for Facebook was hugely inflated and way out of whack with earnings. Going big fast may be important but net profit and sustainable revenues are critical too. Real estate investors should be taking a serious look at outsourcing, cloud computing and VOIP as well as transactional funding for flipping houses to reduce debt and overhead in order to maximize the bottom line.

Lastly, don’t fall into the pit many other investors do every day and neglect branding. Results based marketing which delivers instant business is crucial but a monthly budget should be created for consistent brand building too.

Despite what looks like a solid real estate rebound underway mortgage financing could soon become much tougher to come by. Will this result in investors being limited to a single loan program and what strategic changes do investors need to be considering?

Mortgage lending in the U.S. is under fire. It is already hard for borrowers to get approved for home loans, even with good credit but there are new threats in the works which could make borrowing even more difficult.

Following the recent J.P. Morgan loss of $2-3 billion and the bankruptcy filing by Ally’s mortgage unit regulators are strapped with new ammunition to lead a crackdown on banks and control them. Any more bank failures or major losses will only fuel this witch hunt further.

Loan modifications and refinances don’t appear to be working to stop foreclosures as it has been revealed almost 50% of all FHA modified loans have re-defaulted within a year. This has brought about more calls for a tightening of credit standards and loan guidelines to one of the few programs left out there for low income families and those with anything less than perfect credit and 20% down. This is on top of the increased down payment requirements by FHA and the increased fee structure already put in place.

The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau is jumping on this bandwagon with a proposal to change the fees allowed to be charged by mortgage originators, calling for a simple flat fee versus origination points and discount points. Again this only threatens to reduce lending options by running mortgage brokers out of business and making borrowing more expensive for those buying less expensive homes.

The debate about interest rates is ongoing but a factor which could also push more out of the running to buy homes. Then you have banks being harsher than ever on credit and permitting fewer individuals to open accounts and even refusing secured credit cards and loans to those with deposits. This means less savings and fewer deposits which banks need to lend as well as preventing masses of individuals from being able to rebuild their credit in the wake of the crisis.

This all not only means tougher times for buyers looking for new residences but fewer borrowing options for real estate investors and potentially a smaller buyer pool for flip homes to.

Hard money lenders have lost their minds and are now as hard to get approved with as conventional lenders back in 2005 if not more so. This leaves transactional funding as virtually the only financing options for real estate investors flipping houses.

However, investors also need to perhaps begin to be more careful in their selection of acquisitions, focusing on properties which will attract cash heavy, stronger buyers

Summer is coming and bringing with it 2012’s peak home buying season. Real estate investors cannot afford to underestimate the importance of cranking up their marketing to capitalize on the demand and the need to add a little extra sizzle to their campaign over the next few weeks.

Summer is hot for real estate investors flipping houses. Between homeowners needing to sell and find new housing before the new school year starts and vacationers getting swept up in the emotion of the moment and staking their claims to second homes it’s all go.

This year will likely even be hotter than ever before between the looming deadline for the best benefits of completing short sales before August and low mortgage interest rates. Investors who haven’t crafted a special set of marketing campaigns to kick off and position themselves as the top source for great properties this summer are going to be suffering and lagging behind well into next year.

Real estate investors need to establish dominance in their area quickly. The competition will be turning up the heat on their advertising campaigns that’s for sure. So why not blow them out of the water with a big splash to sweep up the summer home sales rush in your region? Think press releases broadcast across the web, getting featured in the local newspaper and community newsletters, cranking up PPC ad volume and swarming the streets with new signs.

Remember that the pressure is also on all types of other local organizations right now too. Your city probably has a sizable budget for attracting extra visitors in the summer months, while travel related companies and websites are pumping up their efforts too. Look for opportunities to collaborate, put together events, share lists and exchange guest blogs.

Property prices are incredibly low and interest rates never better so there should be no reason the majority of home shoppers out there can’t get a deal. Have homes to flip and having trouble selling because of potential buyer’s lack of down payment and money for closing costs? Well, the good news is that the Fed recently reported American banks loosening credit standards for all types of consumer loans and credit cards since the beginning of 2012. Could some of these lending channels work for funding down payments and closing costs? What about state and local down payment assistance programs?

With easy access to ‘all-you-can-eat’ cash in the form of transactional funding for investors the only thing holding you back from flipping an incredible amount of homes over the next few months is your marketing..

Real estate investors looking to lock in the best deals on short sales will find arming themselves with the following facts ideal for signing up hesitant sellers and the best properties.

While short sales may not always be ideal for flipping real estate and investors need to be careful not to get involved in what could be considered ‘short sale fraud’, these properties do often offer some of the most significant discounts. On top of this they also frequently provide far more protection in cleaner titles and homes which are in much better condition than other types of foreclosures.

Unfortunately, despite short sales normally being the best option for most underwater homeowners many are paralyzed with fear of taking any action or resistant to any offers to buy their homes. Armed with the following facts investors should be able to break down these barriers and negotiate the best prices on short sales. This can be done when making an offer or used to set up the offer through direct mail or email.

6 Reasons Homeowners need to do Short Sales Now:

1. Credit Implications

While the effects of a short sale on credit scores has been debated credit bureaus and modeling agencies including Fair Isaac and Experian have recently broken their usual silence to explain the effects of mortgage delinquencies on credit. Among these releases they have commented that those which opt for short sales and for which lenders report no outstanding delinquency may see a less significant drop in credit score and a faster rebound.

2. They Can Buy another Home Sooner

Depending on the details of the short sale homeowners can qualify to buy a new home within a couple of years or even right away. With rents raising quickly across the country it may soon be far cheaper to buy everywhere.

3. Minimizing Taxes

The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act ends this year meaning homeowners opting for short sales after 2012 could be hit with incredibly huge tax bills. On top of this there are billions of dollars in other tax programs ending at the end of this year which could multiply this effect.

4. Expiring Payout Offers

Many lenders have been paying out tens of thousands of dollars in cash incentives for homeowners to complete short sales on top of mortgage forgiveness. Unfortunately, as with Bank of America’s offer of up to $20,000 which ends in August 2012 other programs are likely to fade away too, meaning no money for relocation and potentially still owing on the mortgage after the bank has seized the property if short sales are not completed in the next few months.

5. Buyers are Interested Now

There are interested buyers and investors like you in the market now but as mortgage interest rates and home prices raise it will be far less attractive to buy and fewer individuals will qualify for loans. Waiting could make it much harder to sell.

6. Faster Processing Times

Right now lenders are speeding up short sale processing times and armed with transactional funding investors can close very quickly.

There has never been an easier time for flipping houses. Between easy access to transactional funding, ridiculously inexpensive properties and a rebounding market with plenty of interested buyers, the only thing holding back real estate investors from making more money than they ever imagined is their marketing.

Clearly social media is perhaps the fastest, easiest and most cost effective means of marketing for real estate investors today. However, many are missing out on the following 4 essential social strategies for maximum lead generation and ROI…

1. SMO

By now, whether they like it or not, there is no excuse for any investor not to have a presence on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Whether these opportunities are being maximized may be a whole different story but there is plenty of free information out there on the web for investors to educate themselves with. However, where 90% of investors are failing is not optimizing their social media profiles for the search engines. The right keywords and keyword placement on your profiles and in your posts can make all the difference in being found by motivated sellers and interested buyers. Don’t do anything else until you’ve done this.

2. Google+

Some tech snobs may try to talk down Google+ because it hasn’t surpassed Facebook’s user numbers yet. Perhaps they forget that it was launched several years later or that it has a more niche following. The point is that the users Google+ does have are ideal for real estate marketing. Plus, the SEO benefits of being on G+ are huge.

3. Pinterest

Many new social networks pop up every month, make a buzz and fade away. Pinterest appears to be one of the few here to stay. While its marketing power has been doubted for many industries, Pinterest is an amazingly powerful platform for real estate investors. Add a badge to your real estate blog so that readers can Pin your content, post awesome photos of your homes and rehabs and even use it for creating your own online TV channel.

4. Story Telling as a Marketing Strategy

What you post on your social profiles is just as important as how they look visually, how well they are optimized and how great your product is. It is common knowledge that selling at the public is out and attraction marketing is in. A great way to achieve this and make your social posts and properties more attractive and interesting is through story telling. This applies to your ‘about’ section and what you say about your brand as well as your homes. Look at some of the recently listed homes on the market including the home where Marilyn met JFK and the house that Howard Hughes crashed into.

The president of the Florida Realtors association says there are now 3 to 4 offers on every foreclosure being listed. So how can you compete and win more offers in order to save yourself time, keep your income consistent and keep the profits stacking up?

Be Faster

Half the battle in winning contracts on foreclosures is speed. Often the first one with a reasonable offer wins the deal. Have searches set up to so that you are consistently getting fresh new deals in your inbox every morning. More importantly, build relationships with the best wholesalers so that they call you immediately when they have a new deal in the works and will give you the first shot at it.

Make Bigger Deposits

Sellers and their agents love big earnest money deposits. It lets them know you are serious (while of course securing their commissions) and dramatically reduces the odds of you backing out. Of course most investors constantly strive to make the smallest possible deposits to reduce their own risks. How about meeting in the middle? What about offering a second deposit within a few days? This allows you to do your due diligence and get out if the deal isn’t what you hoped for while minimizing the downside and making your offer more attractive.

Fewer Contingencies

Needing to make ‘As-Is’ offers is a given when things are moving this quickly. However, some banks are refusing to allow any contingencies for backing out at all and even refusing to permit inspections. While it can certainly be foolish to buy any property without proper inspections, the fewer demands and contingencies you try to sneak in, the higher your odds of landing the deal. If you are flipping houses, you need to prepare your end buyers to buy from you in this manner too.

Knowing your market inside and out will go a long way towards helping you make better offers with fewer contingencies. Focus on a smaller farm area, drive it regularly and get familiar with every property so you instantly know a good foreclosure deal when you see one and have a good idea of its condition.

Make Cash Offers

Cash is still king. Your offers are much more likely to be accepted if they are cash offers than relying on you obtaining any financing. However, making ‘cash offers’ when you really don’t have cash will only cause you problems. The alternative is utilizing transactional funding for quick cash closings and obtaining a proof of funds letter from your transactional lender to provide with your offer.

Getting your real estate website on the first page of Google and keeping it there is about more than just bragging rights. It is about gaining the most traffic, enabling prospects to find you, dominating your market and doing more deals with a higher ROI.

So how can you get your real estate investing website and blog to appear higher up in Google searches?

Google is on a constant mission to crackdown on poor quality, copied and highly spun content. Keep it fresh, unique, less keyword stuffed and more locally focused.

Video has been called one of the hottest marketing trends of the year and the search engines say they love it too. So where possible upload your videos to YouTube and syndicate your videos to your website, blog and social media. For real estate investors this can be a mix of property tours, tips, customer testimonials and slide show presentations.

However, with the news of Instagram’s sale to Facebook for a cool $1 billion and the growing popularity and buzz around Pinterest it is clear that photos and images may be just as important as video for investors promoting themselves and their properties on the web. Pus, of course they are a lot less expensive to generate than video.

Social media’s effect on search engine rankings is perhaps the most underestimated by real estate investors today. Some investors have believed that they could get away without social because they just don’t get it or recognize the immediate benefits. However, social is becoming increasingly critical to your search engine rankings according to executives from Bing. If you are not marketing on the major social networks, getting conversations going and optimizing with keywords and links you are missing out on the ability to boost your rankings.

Google feels so strongly about the current abuses of link exchanging and the junk links which are being exchanged it actually took the time to send out warning emails to webmasters that their sites could be de-indexed for engaging in excessive black hat practices and featuring poor quality links. A perfect example is the down fall of BMR.

Link building is important for good SEO and rankings, just be more selective about who you link to. Look for quality, related affiliate marketing programs to join and reserve your advertising for below the fold in the page.

There will be more changes to come and real estate investors must keep on top of them if they wish to maintain good rankings. However, Google assures us that those who focus on quality and interesting content will be rewarded.

Real Estate investors are being fooled into ineffective marketing practices every day while those spreading the propaganda are stealing the lion’s share of the deals.

From blogging to social and beyond real estate investors are being hounded with the message that they should solely be focusing on attraction marketing and branding and that there is no longer a place for ‘calls to action’. While there is certainly value in providing valuable information and building branding and personal branding most real estate investors need to make real money and make it now.

Omitting any calls to action from your marketing leaves the door open for your competitors to move in and close the deal. Anyone who has ever done any serious sales work in any industry knows that regardless of true value and quality, 9 times out of 10 the business goes to the salesperson who was the most aggressive.

Do build your branding and a quality brand but unless you have a fat trust fund or angel investor who doesn’t care about seeing returns for another 3-5 years you also need to be getting paid, right now. In many cases this means demanding the business.

You can build massive social followings for others to poach or spam on your profiles or create all the content in the world and have it stolen by the same individuals telling you not to pressure buyers and sellers or you can claim that business for yourself and flip more houses.

Sometimes all it takes is asking for the business. There is nothing worse than running into a prospect or worse a family member and hearing they bought, sold a home or even gave money to be invested with someone else and when you ask why they say they didn’t know you could help. In at least 30% of sales the difference was just showing up and asking for the business and the same goes for referrals. Plus, some people want to be sold. They want to be nudged and have their desire to buy rationalized.

You don’t have to be too pushy or fool anyone but you should absolutely be asking for the business. Close your blogs posts with a call to action, include social updates that announce how you can help and never let an in person opportunity go. The worst that can happen is they can say no but the odds are the will be much more likely to remember you and come back to you when they are ready if you asked.

Many real estate investors are allowing themselves to fall into a trap that is hampering their profits and for some completely paralyzing them. What is it?

They are staying far too tightly glued to the news and are concerning themselves far too much with what others are predicting than honing in on their local markets and getting deals done right now.

Yes, staying tuned into future trends in marketing and home buying habits is smart and in the macro sense rumors in the news often become a reality just as with the recent bubble and the stock market crash before that. Forward thinking real estate investors who plan to be around for the long run absolutely should be planning ahead and positioning their businesses to come out ahead but this shouldn’t be holding anyone back from stacking up money in the bank today.

The savviest investors have learned 1 thing from the banks – take no risks. Bet on sure things and only invest in what you know will be profitable and have a clear exit strategy for. Banks only make loans when they know they are going to make money on them (and yes despite the crisis they have already made billions on loans which are in foreclosure) so why should you invest any differently?

Having your real estate deals sold even before you buy them and using someone else’s money to make your acquisitions eliminates risk, slashes the cash cycle and means as close to a sure thing as you are going to get.

Hold on! Before you think this sounds too good to be true recognize that other investors are doing this every day with the help of transactional funding.

Don’t think it’s possible to pre-sell your properties? Investors are doing it daily and have for years, even sight unseen and half way around the globe. You can sell anything with the right marketing. Of course you should have a good product but if other investors can sell properties in China and Egypt in the current market then you should find it a breeze to sell any U.S. property that you are offering at a reasonable discount.

You don’t have to have your own infomercials to do this, you don’t need a reality TV show or even a $100,000 a month marketing budget. It is all about how you present the opportunity and position your properties ahead of time. Others have done it using tools as basic as Craigslist while some have found direct mail, slick iPad presentations or websites and social media is the trick.

You should have a long term plan but regardless of where the market is heading next month you can make a ton of money right now by flipping houses and using other people’s money.

The last two months have seen an incredible rise in the amount of foreclosures being filed and the number of actual repossessions being followed through on. Add to this 2 million more foreclosures expected in 2012 and the real problem for most real estate investors is not a lack of discounted homes available but how to finance them.

It is no secret that mortgage financing has become incredibly tough to get these days. Besides a slew of new regulations banks are still afraid to lend and are being more cautious than ever about the loans they take on. They want zero risks. Even though there has been a recent spike in activity among subprime securities new rules make it virtually impossible for true subprime lending or exotic mortgages to make a big come back anytime soon. So where should real estate investors be turn for funding for their flips?

Sadly ‘hard money’ lenders are no longer anywhere near as easy to work with as they once were. Besides tons of equity in a property they now want to check credit, income, assets and require investors to have a proven track record before they will lend to them. Then they still want to charge ridiculously high double digit rates and points.

Fortunately a new option has emerged. Transactional funding has been created as the perfect alternative for investors flipping houses. It means no more jumping through hoops and far faster funding of deals for shorter cash cycles. What are the advantages of using transactional funding?

• No appraisal required
• No income verification
• No asset verification
• No employment needed
• Fast closings
• No pre-payment penalties
• Less paper work

Think it sounds too good to be true? What’s the catch?

Thousands of savvy real estate investors are using this type of flash funding to finance their deals every week. Though of course there is one catch. That is investors must also have an end buyer lined up who is qualified for a loan or has the cash to complete the transaction.

This really isn’t that difficult at all, especially as smart investors know they should have an exit strategy planned before they buy a property anyway.

These buyers can range from those looking for a new residence or second home to buy and hold investors who will rehab and rent them out. With a little regular networking and a good Internet marketing campaign for driving buyers to your opt-in list you too should be able to build a good sized list of potential buyers a lot faster than you think.

Online marketing is clearly one of the most cost effective and rewarding channels for real estate investors searching for buyer and seller leads today but it also comes with many pitfalls. What mistakes and traps should you be avoiding for getting the most from Internet marketing and your real estate business?

1. Not Closing on Social Media Opportunities

Yes, social media is for providing valuable content and attracting followers and a hard sell pitch doesn’t always work as it does with traditional, direct response forms of marketing but this does not mean you shouldn’t be trying to close deals with it or that it can’t produce real leads incredibly quickly. Many others are making big bucks with social media and generating real customers and sales and real estate investors should be too.

2. Underestimating the Importance of Social Media

It isn’t just the immediate lead generation opportunities that real estate investors are missing out on from social media. You don’t have to love or use every form of advertising just because it works. However, the real power of social media for real estate investors is being able to reach so many more prospects for less money and then being able to market to them over and over again for very little.

3. Skimping on Content Marketing

Unfortunately it is easy for new real estate investors to be lead astray with so much bogus and outdated online marketing advice out there today. Most notably this comes in the form of those still selling article spinning software and suggesting the right strategy is just to flood the web with low quality, keyword saturated content. Those who have been paying attention will know that Google has already made several changes in the last couple of years to penalize those using this type of approach and is rewarding those with fresh original content with better rankings.

4. Allowing Online Marketing to Become an Expensive Distraction

Becoming a little savvier about Internet marketing is smart. What isn’t smart is spending the next 12 months mastering it and less time actually flipping houses. What yields the best return on your personal time? Delegate your online marketing to someone who specializes in it and do what you do best and makes you the most money.

5. Poor Follow Up

Once you get a good online campaign running it can be difficult to keep up with all of the leads and phone calls. Don’t let great leads go to waste. Automate your follow up systems and streamline your processes.

Even though REOs and foreclosures are becoming tougher to find and compete for there are still endless deals to choose from. The real key to flipping houses fast and consistently is finding the buyers to sell them too.

Fortunately, with numerous investment gurus like Warren Buffet signaling the optimal time to buy real estate is right now many of those who have been sitting on the sidelines are now turning into active home buyers and investors just waiting to be presented deals like yours. So how do you find them and convert them?

1. Call Everyone You Know

The Internet has many advantages but there is nothing like the personal touch and putting people right on the spot to create motivation and get referrals. If you have any extended family members or acquaintances who don’t know about your investing business you are failing. If you haven’t asked for their business and referrals and told them how you can help don’t be mad when they buy a home from your arch-enemy. Pick up the phone.

2. Network, Network, Network

Are you sitting at home in the evenings wishing you had closed more deals this week or had more deals in your pipeline? Stop reading about other’s successes online or watching it on TV. You could be out networking and generating new leads at least a couple evenings a week. There are hundreds of people out there who want to meet you and do business with you. If you aren’t there, your competition is.

3. Take Another Look at Your Website

All real estate investors need a website, if for no other reason than for credibility. It doesn’t have to be hundreds of pages long and you don’t even necessarily need to be page 1 on Google but it does need to look professional. It’s just like those beat up old cars you see with “we buy houses cash” magnets. Really? If you don’t look like you can at least afford a reasonable looking car where is your money to buy a house for cash? On the other hand, all the investor driving the Ferrari has to do is stick out his hand and take checks. You may not be ready to buy a Ferrari but that doesn’t mean your website can’t be clean, crisp and run like one.

4. Don’t Overlook Email

There are so many complicated and creative ways to promote real estate deals and advertise homes these days that often the easiest and most affordable are ignored. Email still works great for flipping houses if done right and should not be neglected. Invest in an email system that can sound out regular updates and blast new homes into the hand of all your prospective borrowers with a single click. Think MailChimp, Vertical Response, Constant Contact or AWeber. They all have their benefits and basically do the same thing.

5. Social

Yes, you have already been told you need to be using social media 1,000 times. You may not get it yet, understand it, see the huge, massive potential and better returns it offers or why you should invest so much. That’s fine, if you don’t get it let someone else do it. However, you should at least have professional, personal profiles on the major social networks and slowly grew your contacts. Think of it as something to do when you are burnt out looking at properties and a better choice than vegetating in front of the TV, or multi-task and do both.

Florida which has notoriously been home to a quarter of the nation’s foreclosures saw a 62% decline in foreclosures during 2011. Add to this a new report by the Commerce Department showing housing inventory levels are at a better than healthy 5.6 month supply and it is obvious that real estate investors need to begin brushing up their marketing plans, negotiation skills and tweaking their investment strategies in order to continue finding houses to flip.

The threats of masses amounts of  looming ‘shadow inventory’ seems to have dissipated, with lenders taking a proactive approach to finding other ways to pass off REOs in bulk and preserve home values. A few months ago the biggest problem for real estate investors was weeding through the flood of short sales, foreclosures and REOs on the market. Now the issue is fighting the competition for a crack at the best deals and hoping that bidding wars don’t drive prices too high.

So what can real estate investors do to get ahead of the competition and find deals that still make sense to flip?

Getting on the bulk REO train is one way but it also means having huge amounts of cash and being stuck with properties the banks have already been unsuccessful in selling.

At a minimum investors need to be looking into ways to automate their sourcing and bidding processes in order to keep deals flowing. This will also make it easier to cover larger areas. Some parts of the country are simply getting very difficult to find wholesale priced deals like Miami and San Jose. Looking to those regions which haven’t felt the rebound yet and which aren’t so hot with foreign investors like the Midwest could hold easier deals.

While Realtors and banks may have been easy sources of discounted properties to pick from for the last two years, those investors who start getting better and testing direct marketing to individual home sellers could put themselves ahead of the wave of new investors jumping into the market. Test copy, test packaging, test phone numbers and timing in order to obtain the maximum ROI and make budgets go further.

Finally, put together a pack of ‘bird-dogs’. Enroll everyone you can in finding you great homes with equity and profits to be made. If you pay them based on you flipping the deal successfully using flash funding it doesn’t matter how much you offer. It could be $5 to someone overseas scrapping property records all day or $500 to $1,000 to some local partners.

Investors just must realize they can’t wait. Everyday more people are jumping back into real estate investing.

The real estate market is heating up again with some areas outperforming the peaks of the recent bubble of the early 2000s, so how can you win at investing without becoming a victim?

Some parts of the country are now clearly facing a seller’s market with buyers lining up for hours for a chance at putting a contract on new construction properties while bidding wars are increasing over the little distressed property inventory still coming on the market. A few years ago gurus would be proclaiming that you can never go wrong as real estate always goes up and it doesn’t matter whether you pay full price for mediocre homes. Obviously that isn’t what they are doing themselves today.

Besides being cautious of future market fluctuations which may be more likely do to the shaky foundation we are sitting on right now, experienced investors who have made it through the crisis without landing in cuffs are more savvy about avoiding regulatory witch hunts, frivolous lawsuits and being stuck with large overheads. So how are they cashing in on the new real estate boom?

You won’t find many veteran real estate investors lining up at new home construction sites or gambling on appreciation. Many don’t want to touch rentals and Section 8, no thanks. Their motto is to get in and out quickly, limit liability as much as possible and share the wealth providing they can’t be dragged down by any lavish or foolish overhead. Relying on cash flow alone to keep your head above water is for those who think water-boarding is a sport, not a form of torture.

You’ll find these investors flipping houses, most likely in the form of wholesaling. Often they’ll use transactional funding or their own cash to lock up these deals and flip them over in a few days.

By focusing on building large networks of investors and substantial opt-in email lists and positioning their deals to attract immediate bids once announced they are able to eliminate risks, maximize profits and flip homes with incredible speed.

This can be done with a network of easy launch Internet landing pages for collecting email addresses as well as using LinkedIn and Facebook as well as Google+ to build social networks. They recognize that their success and the key to consistently flipping houses is directly linked to the number of new contacts they make every day. Get better at this and you should find flipping homes in days a breeze thus eliminating the risks of ever getting stuck underwater with a portfolio of properties you don’t want and can’t sell, should the housing market ever falter again.