We're committed to figuring out the best ways to serve our investors.  After a lot of time working out the legal logistics of the matter, we've introduced the "Win an Investment Property" contests.

These are skill based contests where contestants play a word scramble game and are entered to win.  In our first contest, the first prize is a fully rented 2 unit generating $900 in monthly rents.  You're actually getting the opportunity to win an income producing asset for just a $100 entry fee!

Winning these types of investments provides the type of cash flow that we're all seeking to gain better control over our ability to generate income in today's economy.  However, some of us don't have the cash or credit needed to build a real estate portfolio.  With just 550 contestants entering this first contest, your entry gives you a very good opportunity to win a new addition to your income producing portfolio.

The seller wins in this situation because they are able to get market value for their property and sell it quickly.  The contestant wins because they get an asset for just $100.  This gives them 100% equity in the property which they can hold onto, refinance and pull out cash or get a home equity line of credit (HELOC), both of which can be used to make other investments or consolidate debt.  Not to mention, the winning contestant can sell the property even under market value and receive tens of thousands of dollars for what cost them $100 to enter.

Think about it, $100 is a few weeks of caffe lattes at Starbucks, a month of cable or a pair of Nike sneakers.  But all of those things won't make you money like spending $100 to enter the "Win an Investment Property" contest, which could leave you owning an asset.

Who wouldn't want to win an asset?  Now that's something you can take to the bank!  For further details on the benefits, be sure to visit our home page at http://www.distanceinvesting.com

When I watch the news and they say that home sales are down, I hear "Opportunity."  When the media reports that people can't afford their houses, I hear"Super Discount Deals." When I read online that the housing market is down, I hear "Buy, Buy, Buy!"

This is the time to buy, hands down no questions about it.  Why would I not buy now?  Let me give you some comparisons that will make this clear.  When you go to a clothing store, the first place most people migrate towards is the Sales and Clearance racks.  In fact, many avid shoppers know when their favorite stores have their annual sales.  Try women looking for their wedding dresses, they know that every year there is a huge Vera Wang wedding gown sale and they plan for it.  When you go grocery shopping you look in the circular for the sales.  The reason you went to Best Buy last week is because you saw on TV that the computer you wanted is on sale.  I can go on and on about how in every aspect of our lives we buy when things are on sale.

So when the real estate market is having a super sale right now, why are you sitting on the sidelines?  Why aren't you buying?  Are you going to be like the majority of people and wait to start buying when the market goes back up and then you see the money that people are making who did buy?  Guess what, it's too late by then.  When the price goes up, there's no longer a sale.  You missed it!  And the prices will go back up, they always do, real estate is cyclical. 

If you're reading this hopefully you'll figure out that you don't want to jump on the bandwagon when the real estate market moves up, instead you want to be driving the bandwagon.  If you're on the sidelines then you're either injured or not in the starting line up.  This is your chance to be in the starting line up and make the big money.

I know some of you are saying, "But what if the market goes down even more?"  Can we say "Excuses?"  Sure the market could very well go down more.  We are in uncertain times and have seen things happen on Wall Street and in the financial markets that we haven't seen before.  But what is certain is that in fact, all of these things make buying real estate make even more sense.  If people are losing their homes, chances are they won't be buying another one any time soon.  So they need a house or apartment to rent.  If people are concerned about the economy and they don't own a home, chances are they'll be staying in their rented house or apartment.  If people are looking to downsize, they'll certainly consider moving to a rental rather than buying again.  If you bought a property at the right price, which right now is the "on sale" price, and it has positive cash flow, if the price goes down, you still have your positive cash flow.

If you're making hundreds of dollars per month on one of your rentals even after all expenses and the value of the property went down, do you think you could hold out until the market goes back up?  Sure you can, it wouldn't be a good time to sell, but why sell when your investment is making you money.  I believe in the stock market but it's not making your average person money right now.  Real estate investments certainly are!

So get off the sidelines, stop making excusing and get in control of your money because those other folks you counted on didn't do such a good job, did they?  Something tells me you'd do much better.  Go out and buy a great piece of real estate right now and when the market goes back up, you'll not only have enjoyed the monthly profits you made but also the paper profits you'll gain!  Now that's a win/win situation...

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"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." - John Ruskin

We had begun been investing in the Buffalo, NY market mainly because the housing prices were so cheap.  We searched many areas and dollar for dollar we couldn’t find a better return on our investment (ROI) at that low of an entry price point.  It was perfect for first time investors like us and had proven to be a great staple in our portfolio.

Initially we wanted to buy anything and everything that was as cheap as possible.  But after much experience in the troubles that came with those properties, We realized that just because it was cheap, didn’t mean we needed to buy it.  Now we still look for the best bargains but often achieve that through our buying power in acquiring large investor portfolios of multiple properties.  Every now and then, we can pick up one or two properties that meet our criteria due to extenuating circumstances that result in a very motivated seller.  But at the end of the day, cheap just doesn’t always make more sense.  Now we’d rather spend more money on a property to have less of a headache later.  We still can get a property for under fifty thousand dollars in certain areas so how can we really complain?

Now this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t negotiate hard to get the best deal.  But we always tell clients that getting the cheapest price shouldn’t overpower the deal.  If a seller is asking $150,000 for a duplex and the return on investment (ROI) is 15% and that meets your investment goals then you should make an offer for less.  Since your offer is not based on getting the purchase price down to meet your ROI goal, then your offer should be reasonable.

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Some people burn out before they ever get started and others burn out after years of being a real estate investor.  Recently I was reading a blog about an investor who was announcing that they were taking a break from the real estate investing business because their local market had tanked and the strain had worn them out.

Not too long I had gone through a burn out myself and I hadn't realized it at first.  A couple of years ago, we relocated the headquarters of our business from New York City to Charlotte, NC.  We were looking for more room for our family and to get into building and development.  We maintained our office and property services division in Buffalo, NY and that continued to be our core business.

But being Charlotte, NC, which is one of the best if not the best real estate market, our new residential and commercial development projects began to overshadow our focus on the Buffalo, NY real estate market.  Because Buffalo had never been involved in the five year run up that saw real estate increasing value by double digits, despite the market slump, Buffalo real estate wasn't tanking.  It just wasn't as sexy as development and so it all but became the step child of our business.

Yet we had decided that we needed to increase our cash flow so that we could add to payroll and do some personal things we wanted to accomplish.  Even though the profits in development are in the millions of dollars, our development projects wouldn't provide us with the immediate cash flow we sought.  I was still doing deals in Buffalo, NY and quickly realized that the city that had brought my family and our clients so much wealth was still the best cash flow investment out there.  Dollar for dollar I couldn't find an investment opportunity that required so little financial exposure and yet delivered at least double the returns of any other investment. 

For example, an investor in Charlotte, NC was telling me how he had made a great investment in a $125,000 property which generated $800 in rents.  This was a good investment but it just couldn't compare to Buffalo, NY investments.  On any given day I can purchase a fully rented duplex with little to no work for $50,000 that generates $800 to $900 per month in rents.  That means I can purchase 2 1/2 times as many properties as the investor in Charlotte and would generate 2 1/2 times more rent.  This is why I believe so strongly in Distance Investing, you go where the deals are and create a local team in that area that can keep your investments profitable.  This is also why I've always believed in Buffalo as the place in which to invest.

So when Tony had to go up to Buffalo for our business, I decided to tag along.  I knew I needed to see if I could get excited again about Buffalo real estate.  I arranged to see some larger apartment complexes in both low income and middle income neighborhoods for consideration to be included in both our own portfolio and for some of our clients.

On that very first day we set out to see the apartment complexes and on the way took in the real estate landscape.  I tell you I was immediately excited about what I saw and my initial excitement so many years ago came rushing back.  I could hardly contain myself there were so many possibilities and opportunities. 

When we drove through the low income neighborhoods there were well kept streets and then there were those streets where four houses in a row were boarded up.  But even that got me excited.  I saw the opportunity to buy those houses, renovate them and contribute to the revitalization of an entire street.  The power to be able to focus investment dollars in one area to improve the neighborhood while increasing the value of investors' properties is so powerful.  So these investments could be purchased for anywhere from $1,500 to $20,000, prices that are unbelievable to many but all too familiar for us and our clients.

We then went to some of the really nicely kept middle income neighborhoods.  These were neighborhoods in which I would live.  And the purchase prices of these properties were just $50,000.  While we focus on investments that are $50,000 and under, the market in the city is still lower than any other market with the infrastructure as a city that Buffalo has.

With so many choices and so many opportunities, I began to call Buffalo...The Cash Flow Capital of the World.  We came back to the office in Charlotte and began to reinvigorate the Buffalo real estate business.  We fully committed to get the word out to as many investors as possible.  There's no way we could continue to passively benefit from such a goldmine without getting others in on the deal in a big way. 

We added a slew of new services and opportunities for investors to get involved no matter their investment strategy.  I will be sure to keep focus on our investment strategies in Buffalo, NY because they work.  But even if you decide that Buffalo isn't the city for you in which to invest, I urge you to invest somewhere and now!  Don't find yourself in the same place six months from now wishing you had taken action...What are you waiting for? 

Well, it's my birthday today so I figured there's no better time to start blogging here at DistanceInvesting.com.  It's definitely been a day of reflection as I've turned a year older and feel compelled to assess how far I've come along with my goals. 

I'll be honest and say, I'm not even close to being on target.  Sure I can blame that on the fact that I'm running a business while being the mother of a 1, 3, 5 and 7 old as well as a 19 year old step son in college.  But the reality is, I'm my biggest obstacle.  Oprah once asked an Oscar nominated actor who had been in the business for many years, but was only recently gaining recognition, what changed that it was all finally coming together.  And he poignantly replied "I got out of my own way!"

I urge all of you to really consider whether you've been blaming others for being stagnant when you're really the one holding yourself back.  This is one of the most exciting times in real estate and you could be missing the opportunities because of your fears and self doubts. 

Now you may hear about the doom and gloom in the real estate industry and there's no doubt we're in a down market but that is hands down the best time for investors to buy!  Undoubtedly, I'm spoiled, I live in one of the best, if not the best real estate markets in the country, Charlotte, NC and I invest heavily in Buffalo, NY which we've coined as the "Cash Flow Capital of the World."

But that's what DistanceInvesting.com is all about.  I don't let the boundaries of where I can drive in a few hours limit where I will invest.  With the right team in place, I'll invest anywhere in the world.  You can start out with anywhere in the US and we'll work you up to anywhere in the world.  But ask our international investors who, with a weak dollar, are buying in a 2 for 1 fire sale for real estate here, and they'll tell you to suck it up and invest where the deals are no matter how distant that may be from home.

I invite you to come back to visit the Blog area often.  I intend to let you in on my own life as a full time investor, business owner, mentor, wife and mother.  You'll learn tips about real estate investing, I'll include case studies about actual deals I'm doing, but you'll also hear about how I fit this all in while still having a personal life.  To do anything else, would not allow you to map out your own investment strategy because what you want and need in your personal life is often the driver for your business decisions.  We're going to take it all on together.  I look forward to the journey!