When your website ranks higher than your competition, you get more leads and business than your competition.

This is possible by working to get a high ranking in the search results in all the search engines. We cover how to do this in this article.

This process is called search engine optimization (SEO). It involves making sure your website ranks highly for selected keywords or search terms that people use to look for your services.

The higher your website ranks for these keywords, the higher it appears in search results – bringing you more leads and business.

Search engine optimization involves two aspects:

1) On-Site search engine optimization
This means modifying your website to improve search engine rankings. The content on your website must be relevant to keywords you select to rank highly.
You need to make sure your keywords appear in the following areas:

Title tag – The relevant keywords must be included in the title tags. In the search engine results, this is the part that appears in bold.

Meta description – In the search engine results this appears below the title; usually a short phrase in the meta tags. It should be easy to read and describe your services in one sentence that also contains your keywords.

Content – Your content must contain the relevant keywords. Be careful not to stuff keywords on your website or search engines could penalize you.

Domain name – Whenever possible, having your keywords in your domain name will give you a better ranking.

2) Off-site search engine optimization
The second step to effective SEO is off-site optimization. It involves building links on third party websites to your website.

The more links to your website, the more popular you are in the search engines and the higher you rank.

Building links involves writing relevant content such as

Articles – article directories allow you to put a link back to your website when you post an article. You do need to include relevant keywords in the article to be more effective.

Blogs – similarly, blogs and web 2.0 properties allow you to put your link when you post. Make sure your blogs are also submitted to RSS directories.

Directories – some classified directories are very popular with SEO.

Social bookmarks – there are hundreds of social bookmarking and article site and blogs. Your links on these sites can appear in search engines in a matter of minutes.

Press releases – not only do press releases get your name out there, but they are also important in SEO ranking. If your press releases are done right, they can get you a lot of business.

Advantages of search engine optimization
1) Little competition
Most real estate investors get a website and just stop there. The rarely pay attention to their search engine rankings.

A one time effort can sustain you at the top of search results for years.

2) Long-term benefits
Once you optimize your website, you continue getting traffic and new business for years. Whenever people need your services, they can easily find you.

3) Low cost
The fact that search engine optimization has long term benefits makes it very affordable. An investment of just a few hundred dollars can bring you lots of business for years to come.

Successful real estate investing requires that you have an effective real estate investor website that converts leads into closed real estate deals. Find out how you can attract more business through effective https://www.realestateinvestorswebsites.net/search-engine-optimization/ and close more deals using less time, money and effort.

The post How To Attract Leads For Real Estate Investing Through Search Engines appeared first on General Article Directory.

Make sure all the people you work with give you testimonials – Realtors, motivated sellers, tenants, etc.

So how do you get these testimonials and how do you use them for your benefit?

Never wait long
You should never wait long before asking for a testimonial. They will forget you within a few days. The best time is when the excitement is still high, for example as soon as you close a deal.

Get a video testimonial, take pictures
It is very easy to get a testimonial when they have a check in their pocket. Could they write ti down for you? If at all possible, take a picture of them.

You now have a hand-written testimonial with a picture. This is more credible than a typed testimonials.

Even better, always have a video recorder with you. You can use a smart phone to get a video testimonial.

A video testimonial takes only 2 minutes and are more believable and carry more credibility.

Of course if you do not have a video recorder, you can use a voice recorder in most smart phones.

Send a letter and / or email
Mail a letter the same day you close a deal. Send it by email as well.

The letter should be something like this:

Dear Mr. Seller
Thank you so much for allowing us to serve you. It was a pleasure working with you and seeing the deal through to completion.

I was wondering if you could do me a quick favor? Could you write a short testimonial for me? I would really appreciate this as it would help me help more people looking to sell their houses quickly.

Please use the attached piece of paper and return envelope for your testimonial.

Thank you in advance and please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.

Sincerely,
Your name here

Always include a sheet of paper with the heading “Write your testimonial here”. Try a yellow paper written in red. It prompts them to write the testimonial right there and not keep it for later.

Remember to include a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

Most people will not respond, but some will. Never miss the opportunity to ask for a testimonial. The more people you ask, the more testimonials you will get.

Your business will be more successful if you use these testimonials.

How to use testimonials
Testimonials are a big part of your credibility kit. Make sure you put them on your real estate investor website. The video testimonials are excellent for this.

Take your credibility kit in your car at all times. Every time you go to see a house, show them to your motivated sellers.

You will end up buying more houses.

A successful real estate investing business demands that you have a constant supply of leads coming your way. Find out how an interactive real estate investing website can pre-educate motivated sellers for you and bring you pre-screened and pre-negotiated deals for your business.

The post How To Use Testimonials In Real Estate Investing` appeared first on General Article Directory.

This is a list of things you must have before you go to see your houses.

1) Flashlight
When you go to see most houses, you are likely to find the utilities disconnected. utilities are usually disconnected in most vacant homes.

Always have a flashlight with you in your car at all times. It comes in handy.

2) Face mask
Many times you will find this necessary even though it sounds unlikely. The mask you need is the type that covers your nose and mouth.

Once I went to view a property that had its copper plumbing vandalized. By the time water was disconnected, it had flooded for a few days.

I have since visited several properties you just cannot breath unless you cover your nose.

3) Hand sanitizer / insect repellant
Lots of vacant houses stink and are infested with fleas.

You end up touching dirty doors, knobs, etc, and probably get infested by fleas. I always spray my shoes with insect repellant and sanitize my hands after I am done.

4) Digital camera / Video camera
The good thing is that most people now have digital and video cameras in their smart phones. If you do not have one of these, get yourself one; it’s a big savings because it combines many uses into one. Always take some pictures and even video when you go to see your houses.

A voice recorder, usually in the smart phone comes in handy to narrate useful things. I find it easier than having to take notes.

5) Calculator
Obviously you must carry a calculator. Again my smart phone calculator is more than enough.

This is one tool you will always need, whether you are estimating repairs, making offers, etc.

6) Screwdriver, hammer
To access properties that are boarded up, you will need these. You have to gain entry, then re-board it after you are done.

7) Deal analysis
By the time I drive out to the house, I have pre-screened the sellers and already know the repairs needed. My visit serves to confirm the information I already have.

I already have comps done and have an idea of the offer I will make.

I can revise these numbers if things on the ground are different. Always be prepared to make an offer before you leave. By the time you go to see the house, you already know the asking price.

Most motivated sellers will accept your offer right there.

8) Purchase agreement
The time to sign the contract is when the seller accepts your offer, not later. You must have contracts ready to sign, or even blank ones in your car.

9) Business cards
Motivated sellers usually have friends in a similar situation. Pass your business cards to them, they might refer more business to you. Of course, remember to promise a gift if they refer their friends.

10) Yard signs
As soon as I get a house under contract, I put a We Buy Houses sign on the yard, with the owner’s permission. These signs can bring you a lot of extra business.

In order to buy houses efficiently, you must pre-educate motivated sellers, pre-screen them analyze and make offers that get accepted. Learn how an interactive, automated real estate website can deliver pre-screened and pre-negotiated deals for you.

The post 10 Things You Must Have Before You See The Next House appeared first on General Article Directory.

This is a list of things you must have before you go to see your houses.

1) Flashlight
When you go to see most houses, you are likely to find the utilities disconnected. This applies to most vacant homes you will go to see.

Always have a flashlight with you in your car at all times. It comes in handy.

2) Face mask
Even though this can sound far-fetched, you will find it necessary many times. The mask you need is the type that covers your nose and mouth.

Once I went to view a property that had its copper plumbing vandalized. By the time the city turned off the water, the house had flooded a few days.

Since then I have visited several properties where you just cannot breath unless you filter the air you breath.

3) Hand sanitizer / insect repellant
Vacant houses usually stink and may be infested with fleas.

You end up touching dirty doors, knobs, etc, and probably get infested by fleas. When I am looking at such houses, I spray my shoes with an insect repellant and always sanitize my hands after I am done.

4) Digital camera / Video camera
Most people these days carry smart phones with both digital and video cameras. Get yourself one if you do not have one, it combines many useful tools in one. Always take some pictures and even video when you go to see your houses.

While we are at it, sometimes I use my smart phone to record voice as I explain things I would otherwise forget. It’s easier than taking notes.

5) Calculator
Of course this is an obvious must have. I generally find the one on my smart phone enough for my needs.

If you are like me, you will find this useful every time you make calculations on repairs, making an offer, etc.

6) Screwdriver, hammer
To access properties that are boarded up, you will need these. The only way to gain entry is to un-board it, then re-board it when you leave.

7) Deal analysis
Before I go out to look at a property, I have already pre-screened the seller and have a pretty good idea about the repairs it needs. My visit serves to confirm the information I already have.

I already have comps done and have an idea of the offer I will make.

These numbers can be revise if I find a different reality. You must make an offer before you leave. By the time you go to see the house, you already know the asking price.

Most motivated sellers will accept your offer right there.

8) Purchase agreement
The time to sign the contract is when the seller accepts your offer, not later. I generally prepare a contract before I go to see the house and leave out some blanks that can change later.

9) Business cards
Motivated sellers usually have friends in a similar situation. make sure you pass your business cards to them. Of course, remember to promise a gift if they refer their friends.

10) Yard signs
I always put a We Buy Houses sign in the yard as soon as I put it under contract with the owner’s permission. You can get a lot of extra business from these signs.

In order to buy houses efficiently, you must pre-educate motivated sellers, pre-screen them analyze and make offers that get accepted. Learn how an interactive, automated real estate website can deliver pre-screened and pre-negotiated deals for you.

The post Viewing Properties: 10 Things You Must Carry appeared first on General Article Directory.

The focus of this article is how to identify qualified cash buyers for your houses. Specifically, we focus on how to market and successfully sell wholesale deals.

One of the key factors to successful flipping is to make sure you quickly identify buyers for your wholesale deals.
Here are the steps involved in identifying buyers:

1) Build a buyers list
This is a must in successful real estate investing. If you are selling houses, you must build a list of people with cash looking to buy the properties you sell.

In order to build a good buyers list, you must have a real estate investor website that is fully equipped with the ability to automatically build your buyers list as you sell your houses.

When you get your next deal, the first thing you do is to email it to your buyers list. Chances are you will get a buyer from that list. Many times I have found buyers the same day I email my deals to my buyers list.

Check the bottom of this article for a good recommended real estate investor website.

2) Market aggressively
A lot of investors rarely market their properties adequately. It is necessary to run a marketing campaign for every property you get even if you have a buyers list.

You must always include your website address where they can view the property and sign up to your buyers list.

Run ads on marketing websites like Craigslist and other real estate websites. You can run ads in your local papers for $200 to $500.

Again, do not provide a phone number, instead provide the web address to your real estate investor website where you have the property listed. If you do provide a phone number, it must be a voice mail that re-directs them to your website for full details.

I always make sure they cannot view full property details until they join my buyers list.

you can end up with hundreds of potential buyers this way.

3) Pre-qualify potential buyers
One of the biggest mistakes real estate investors make is to get excited when they get a potential buyer. You should treat them as potential buyers until you see they have money to close.

When I talk to a potential buyer first, I take their contact information and show them the property or give them the lockbox code. Once they express interest to buy it, I must ask them the source of their cash.

“Cash” is not enough. Is this cash in their bank account? Have they just sold a house? Are they working with a line of credit? Do they have a private money lender or a hard money lender?

In other words, proof of funds is a must.

Buyers who are hoping to get a mortgage from a bank are out of the question. They must have ready cash and can close quickly.

4) Follow through to closing
I then sign a contract with the potential buyer. I must meet them in person to collect earnest money. I take a minimum of $500 which they stand to lose if they do not close, but which is credited to them at closing.

Be sure to keep up with the closing process and ensure the money is available when expected. As always, time is of the essence in closing wholesale real estate deals.

Learn how you can buy and sell houses from an automated real estate investor website that both pre-educates potential motivated sellers and house buyers, while automatically building buyers lists for future properties you may have for sale.

The post How To Get Qualified Buyers For Your Houses In Real Estate Investing appeared first on General Article Directory.

In this article, we point out important areas you must focus on in your business.

I have pointed great sources of getting motivated sellers in a different article. As soon as you identify a good deal, you must then secure and close the deal.

In my business, I get all my leads through my real estate investor website. Approximately half the motivated sellers submit their information directly through the website. The other half chooses to use the phone, and my virtual assistant pre-screens them for me and submits this information on my website.

I therefore receive all my deals fully pre-screened, and pre-negotiated. I can therefore easily identity a good deal in a few minutes.

Once you find a good deal, you must set up an appointment to see the house. This is mainly because you must estimate repairs. A simple tour of 5 to 10 minutes is enough to estimate repairs.

A thorough estimate of the repairs is not necessary. You just need a rough estimate.

Make sure you sign the contract while you are with the buyer.

You can always cancel the sale later if the numbers no longer look good.

If the deal works, fax the contract to the title company so they start title work. Always make sure you deliver or mail the earnest money to make the contract binding. Earnest money should go to the title company, not the seller.

The next steps in the process depend on your business model and what your exit strategy is:

1) Wholesale the deal
If your exit strategy is to wholesale the deal to other real estate investors, this is when you market the deal to them. If you have a good real estate investing website, then you have probably built a list of potential buyers and you simply email you new deal to your wholesale buyers list.

Once you identify the wholesale buyer, you then sign a contract with you as the seller if you plan to do a simultaneous closing. Alternatively, you can assign the contract for an assignment fee.

The title company will then do the closing and disburse all the money as agreed.

2) Lease option / Lease to own
If you plan to do any creative financing such as lease option, or any business model that involves taking over the existing mortgage, the title company should be able to conduct the closing whether you already have a buyer or not.

This is why it is important that you select a title company that works with real estate investors and understands various real estate investing business models.

3) Straight buy
If you plan to buy fix and sell, or keep as a rental property, then this is a straight traditional transaction that any title company can close.

Other business models would follow similar steps; these 3 are just the main ones.

When all is said and done, your success in real estate investing, largely depends on the efficiency with which you pre-screen your leads, follow up with them to tie up the deal, and efficiently close the deal.

Find out how you can run your real estate investing business from an interactive real estate investor website that automates most aspects of your business delivering pre-screened and pre-negotiated deals so you spend less money, time and effort while you close more deals.

The post How To Buy Houses From Motivated Sellers In Real Estate Investing appeared first on General Article Directory.

Even the ones who are motivated may not have deals that could make you a profit.

When talking to motivated sellers you therefore need to make sure you weed out sellers who could waste your time without turning off potentially profitable deals.

Here are 5 things you must know before you talk to the next motivated seller.

1) Do not waste your time
The most important part of any conversation is that you must take the lead in the conversation. You must direct it in the direction that provides answers to all the vital questions you need to determine if you have a deal or not.

Lots of sellers will go on and on about their beautiful house, updates, nice kitchen, etc. Most of them are attached to their house and can continue for hours if you do not lead the conversation.

Unless you can buy their house at a price low enough to make you a profit, none of this information is of any value to you.

I make sure that I always have a script with a list of questions they must answer in the conversation. the questions can be answered in any order, but I must know if I can make the deal happen or not within 2 minutes.

Never deal with sellers who are not motivated. If they cannot tell you the outstanding balance on the mortgage, they are not motivated enough. Most motivated sellers have no problem talking about their mortgage balance; they talk about it as casually as the number of rooms.

In my business, by the time I talk to motivated sellers, they have already been pre-screened and pre-negotiated with by my real estate investor website. the ones that call must leave a voice message, or they are not motivated enough for me.

My virtual assistant then returns the call and submits the information on my website. I already know if the deal can happen or not by the time I talk to them.

This way, you never waste your time or the sellers time with houses you can never buy.

2) Develop rapport
Do not appear as Mr. Big Corporate House Buying Company. You are a local guy looking to buy their house. And you like their house because it seems to meet your needs.

Build rapport with them as you talk, especially when you establish you can make the deal happen.

3) Listen, listen, listen
Since you are leading the conversation, listen to what they say – how they got into this predicament, the repairs needed, etc.

The only information you need is that which will help you determine their level of motivation, asking price, repairs and equity.

4) Negotiate
Even though their asking price could be good enough to give you a profit, always negotiate to get a lower price. Lots of people might think they could have gotten a better price if you do not negotiate.

You can negotiate on appliances, closing costs or even furniture, not just the price.

And always make an appointment to go see the house if the deal looks good at the first glance.

This way, they will stop shopping your competition since they have already locked a buyer in their mind. If you later crunch your numbers and find you cannot make the deal happen, you can call them to cancel the appointment.

As long as you remember to treat them nice, with respect and with sensitivity, they will be as keen to sell you their house as you are to buy it.

When your real estate investing business is run from an interactive real estate investing website, the website tells your story for you, pre-educating motivated sellers how you buy houses. It also automates most aspects of real estate investing, so you close more deals using less time, money and effort. Learn how you can employ such a website so you receive pre-screened and pre-negotiated deals ready for you to make an offer in just a few minutes.

The post 4 things you must know before talking to motivated sellers appeared first on General Article Directory.

So how do you figure out the equity in your deals to remain profitable?

The very first investment property I bought was more out of guess work with the numbers. At the time, the real estate market always promised that the prices would appreciate with time, meaning you could still make money even with marginal deals.

I almost gave up pursuing more real estate investing deals because I did not think the little money I made justified all my efforts. This was because the numbers and potential equity looked so good I did not think there was any way I could lose.

Let us take an example:

Let us assume you are buying a $200,000 house for $160,000. At first glance, it may seem to you like you have an equity of $40,000.

But let us look more closely at these numbers.

Assume that you just need to replace the carpet and repaint the house, plus a few minor touch-ups. Your monthly mortgage payment will be $1300.

We will assume that you will complete repairs within 30 days, and that houses are sitting an average of 90 days on the market before you can sell them.

The numbers would run something like this:

1) Holding costs for 4 months: $5200
2) 2% closing costs when buying at $160,000: $3200
3) 2% closing costs when selling at $200,000: $4000
4) 6% Realtor’s commissions when selling the house: $12,000
5) Carpet, paint and minor touch-ups: $10,000
6) Property taxes prorated for 4 months (approximate): $1050

This is a total of $35,450 assuming nothing goes wrong.

In other words, your total expense in this deal is $160,000 plus $35,450, or $195,450.

This represents the profit of a whooping $4550!

If anything goes wrong, such as spending a little more in repairs or it takes 2 more months before you can sell it, you will end up making a loss.

Scenarios like these are very common with real estate investors.

You should only work with numbers are PERCENTAGES not dollar figures.

As a wholesale rear estate investor, I acquire my properties at 65% minus repairs or lower.

Remember you also need to sell your properties at a discount to get them sold.

In order to get noticed, your house also needs to be quite attractive both in the asking price and overall condition. Buyers today are more picky because they have more houses to choose from.

This means you may have to spend more money on repairs to make it more appealing to buyers.

You could end up holding the house as long as 6 months, increasing your holding costs.

As long as you stick to a percentage that gives you a good return on investment for your business model, you are likely to remain profitable in your real estate investing business.

Successful investing in real estate requires that you acquire your deals cheaply and sustain a continuos flow of good deals that make you a profit. Learn how an automated, interactive real estate investing website can help you acquire more deals using less time, money and effort.

The post How To Buy Houses With Equity In Real Estate Investing appeared first on General Article Directory.

So how can you buy houses at prices low enough to make a profit?

1) Motivated sellers
This is my favorite source of good deals. It is the easiest method to find deals below market value even before they find their way into the market.

A motivated seller is a seller who really needs to sell their house. Usually, they could be behind on their mortgage, facing foreclosure, divorced, burned by bad tenants, have inherited property, and so on. The properties have become a thorn in the flesh to them, and they can do anything to get rid of them.

So how do you find motivated sellers?

You simply need to market to home owners who are in legal trouble. In my market, I am able to get a listing of all county court filings every day. If they own real estate, they get into my mailing list.

These people are usually very motivated and ready to do business today.

2) Wholesalers
You can also buy these houses from other real estate investors at wholesale prices if you do not have time to market to motivated sellers.

I usually have a lot of good deals, most of which I cannot pursue. For this reason, I wholesale them to other real estate investors who will probably fix them up and put them back on the market either as rentals or resale.

When you buy wholesale deals, you take over the original contract, or you get the property in simultaneous closing. The details of these deals are discussed in a separate article.

3) Local REI meetings
I can bet that right near where you live, there is a group of real estate investors that meet close by. These are people who buy and sell real estate actively in your local market.

This means you can find great deals from these groups.

4) REOs and the MLS
I have to say that these will not be the best deals you can find. The asking price is usually too high for most real estate investors even though thousands of properties are sitting out there with no buyers.

This is because they have been too over-shopped and the prices inevitably remain too high.

These deals are the least recommended for investment purposes.

5) Courthouse auctions
A lot of home work is needed in order to get good deals from court house auctions. I do not recommend this method unless you know what you are doing.

6) Craigslist and other online sources
Again, good investment deals are rare here because the resource is too over-shopped and most Realtors and FSBO owners advertise here. It is not easy to get a good deal from Craigslist.

Most successful real estate investors close more deals using less effort, time and money by leveraging the power of technology to make their work easier. Learn how you can run your business from an interactive website for real estate investing that automates most of your tasks increasing profits for you.

The post How To Buy Houses Low For Real Estate Investing appeared first on General Article Directory.