Decoding the Lingo: SDI (Self-Directed IRA)

Disclaimer:  I am a real estate professional, not a financial consultant or retirement planner.  That said, this information is fairly basic and easily varified by many reputable sources (below). 
A Self-Directed IRA is a retirement vehicle that is capable of investing in a great number of investments including Real Estate.  Basically your IRA fund becomes the [...]

How and When to Fire Your Agent (or Advanced Hard Conversations)

I received a great question from a friend today.  When and how should someone “breakup” with their real estate professional?  In this person’s situation, their agent (in far away state and city) was not advocating for them in price negotiation or in showing them appropriate properties.  Their question is a tough one:  How do I get [...]

Decoding the Lingo: Earnest Money

Just a quick one.  Earnest Money usually comes in the form of a personal check or money order made out to a title company.  It’s money a property buyer uses to place a hold on a property that provides the seller some level of assurance of the buyer’s serious intent to follow through with the purchase.  [...]

Decoding the Lingo: Closing Costs

The fees incured from borrowing money to purchase a property, faciliate the sale of a property, and transfer the ownership of a property.  The wikipedia article on the topic includes a more formal definition and a list of examples.  Many items lumped into this category are negotiable, and none of them need to be a complete [...]