Discover Marvelous Memphis Tennessee with The Real Estate Guys!

The Real Estate Guys™ are going to Memphis, Tennessee March 2nd thru 4th, 2012!!!

Ready to join us? Click here to download your registration form now.

Otherwise, read on and we’ll tell you all about it!

Setting the Tone – Our trips are EDUCATIONAL, so don’t worry about getting trapped in a room and getting hard closed to buy (we call this the “timeshare experience”).

Even though you’ll meet local market experts who’d love to do business with you, none of that happens on the trip. This is about exploring the market and meeting potential team members. If you like what you see, you can follow up afterwards. No pressure!

Trip Logistics

When you schedule your flight (please wait until we confirm your registration – sometimes we sell out), plan to arrive at the Memphis International Airport (MEM) on Friday in time to catch the airport shuttle to the hotel by 4:30 pm. Your registration includes your room, which will serve as home base for the weekend. We’ll tell you which hotel…and the secret handshake …after you’ve registered.

Friday night, you’ll meet your hosts (those handsome guys at the top of this page) and your fellow field trippers. We’ll have a market overview presentation (and a special guest speaker), then we’ll head out for dinner (included!). Then back to the hotel for some shuteye.

Saturday morning we’re up and at ‘em early. After a quick breakfast, we’re into the bus for a FULL day of touring the market. You’ll see a variety of neighborhoods and employment centers, and get an understanding for the overall health and vibrancy of the market.

You’ll meet a variety of experts on specific neighborhoods and property types. You’ll learn how to look for the telltale signs of opportunity (or danger!) at the neighborhood level. This is important because you don’t buy a market, you buy a neighborhood.

We emphasize single and multi-family residential because that’s what most people are interested in, but we’ll also see commercial and retail areas.

We keep the group small, so there’s ample time to ask questions and lots of interaction with the guest speakers, tour guides and your fellow field trippers. We cap the day off with a fun dinner and some tasty libations. Then back to the hotel for a nap.

Sunday morning is a lively interactive strategy session, some Q&A, and presentations from local experts.

By now, you’re brain is swollen with market knowledge, you heart is racing with excitement, and you’ve made a lot of new friends and strategic connections. You’ll get more done in one guided weekend than most people accomplish in multiple trips on their own!

So Why Memphis?

It’s no secret we date other markets. Each one has it’s own unique personality and attributes. And after the Great Recession (which we heard ended June 2009, but we must’ve missed the memo), it’s critically important to be careful and strategic when selecting markets. The volume, location and quality of the jobs in a local area is essential to long term rental property investing success.

To be safe, we like markets that have major job centers that are geographically linked to the area. That is, the primary employers can’t easily pack up and move to China, India or some other location where labor and land are less expensive.

Memphis has a great strategic location and infrastructure which makes it an ideal distribution hub. Maybe that’s why Fed Ex made it their HQ. And with low cost land, labor, no state tax, and close proximity to distribution, Memphis is attractive to U.S. manufacturers who want to stay in the U.S.

It’s also important to have the price-to-rent ratio be favorable to creating positive cash flow. This is important on so many levels, there isn’t time to describe it all! But you’re going to REALLY like the numbers in Memphis!

“Live where you want to live, but invest where the numbers make sense.” – Robert Helms

Also, Tennessee is one of only seven states with no state income tax. This is attractive to both businesses and retirees. If the U.S. economy continues to struggle, and as U.S. baby boomers try to retire on portfolios that have been wounded by the Great Recession, markets like Memphis have a very strong appeal – which you’ll understand when you see it with your own eyes.

We could go on and on (can you tell?), but a website isn’t a substitute for a field trip.

So what are you waiting for? Click here now to download your registration form and we’ll continue the lesson in Memphis!

12/18/11: Regional Roundup – Taking The Pulse of the U.S. Real Estate Market

So many markets, so little time!

Let’s face it.  When you get the hots for real estate investing, there are lots of tempting opportunities out there!

But before you go out on a market field trip date or get hot and heavy with just one market, why not get a quick sampling of what’s out there?  And as great as the internet is, sometimes you just need the warmth of a real human voice.

So we decided to round up 8 different real estate practitioners from 8 different U.S. real estate markets for The Real Estate Guys™ version of market speed dating!

In the studio and calling in from around the country:

• Your ever debonair host of the show, Robert Helms
• The ever air- headed co-host, Russell Gray
• Our marvelous man in Memphis, Terry Kerr
• Our Miami market maven, Deborah Boza-Valledor
• Our amazing Atlanta affiliate, Bruce Carlisle
• A guy who really knows the way to San Jose, Jurgen Weller
• Our deal-making dude from Dallas, Jay Hartley
• Our money man from Minneapolis, Rob “Boom Boom” Bonahoom
• Our phabulous phriend in Phoenix, Timothy Theiss
• The Washington DC Wonder Woman, Beth “Bubbles” Clifford

Wow!  What a line up! Like Santa in his sled, we decided to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.  So we hitched up our eight market reindeer and headed into the foggy air of market prognostication.

We ask each call in contributor to give us a quick update on their market from their unique perspective – and what does 2012 look like?

We quickly find out that each market is different.  And each person’s perspective is different too!  That’s the beautiful thing about real estate.  There’s a LOT of variety!

We have a lender, a couple of turnkey property providers, an executive from the largest local Realtor® association in the USA, the manager of a large residential brokerage in a very pricy area, a property manager, an investment property broker and a real estate developer.  Different people, property types and price points, market personalities and perspectives.  Fun!

Some of these markets were killed in the Great Recession.  Others barely felt it.  Some are SUPER expensive, but people are still paying CASH.  And one has lots of foreign buys stepping in and snapping up bargains.

Want to know which is which?  Well, you’ll just have to listen in!  But have a cup of coffee, because this is a fast paced show.  Enjoy!

LISTEN:

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The Real Estate Guys™ radio show and podcast provides real estate investing news, education, training and resources to help real estate investors succeed.

10/9/11: Market Spotlight – Exploring Atlanta, Georgia

One of the largest metros in the United States, Atlanta is strategically located in the southeast and serves as a major transportation and distribution hub. We like that because it means those jobs, and all the businesses (and those jobs) that rely on being near that infrastructure, are probably more likely to stay in the area.  In times like these, it’s really important to pick your markets carefully!  Maybe it’s just us, but we prefer the ones with jobs for our tenants.

To learn more about Atlanta, Georgia we invited two market experts to visit our illustrious studios.

Under the headphones and behind the microphones for this exhilarating episode of The Real Estate Guys™ radio show:

• Your peach of a host, Robert Helms
• Your peach fuzzed co-host, Russell Gray
• The Godfather of Real Estate, Bob Helms
• Atlanta residents and market experts, Ken Corsini and Bruce Carlisle

So we were hanging out at an airport (something we do often) and over-heard these two guys talking about great weather, low cost of living, strong population growth and solid rents.  Our ears perked up, and we invited them to be our guests on the show.

Not really.

Actually, we’ve been talking on the show about the importance of strategic market selection and some of the qualities we think are important in a real estate market – especially for long term buy and hold real estate investing.  The next thing you know,  Ken Corsini calls and asks, “Have you heard about the Atlanta real estate market?”

Well, of course we’ve heard of Atlanta.  But after about 10 minutes it was obvious we really didn’t know that much…but Ken did.

Now we get these calls all the time (don’t you wish you were us?  We know we do!), but before we invest valuable air time we decided to throw down (which is better than throwing up) a few hoops.  After all, we like to know who we’re putting on the radio.

So we asked Ken to fly to Dallas and hang out with us at one of our recent field trips.  And he did!  This gave him a chance to hear all about Dallas (a market we like a lot) and let us know how Atlanta stacks up in comparison.  Not dismayed, he showed up in Dallas and took notes, asked intelligent questions and Ken began our education on the investment opportunities available in Atlanta real estate.

The short of it (we know, it’s already been long) is that we discovered Ken’s a really nice guy, he knows Atlanta very well, and he impressed us enough to invite him onto the show.

As a special bonus, Ken brought along his associate, Bruce Carlisle, who’s not only a lifelong resident of Atlanta and a raving fan, but he’s also a long time real estate practitioner that has been nice enough to write a special report on Atlanta (which is conveniently located in our Special Reports library and yours for the asking).

So without stealing too much thunder from the show, we found that Atlanta has a young, well-educated population,  great education and transportation infrastructure, and offers its residents and businesses a very friendly, low cost place to live and do business.  So far so good!

Toss in great weather, lots to do, and a strong and diverse economy – and it’s no wonder that Atlanta has enjoyed strong population growth over the last decade.  People like it!

Of course, once all the basics of a strong long term real estate market are in place, what we really want to know is whether the numbers make sense.  When Ken and Bruce started telling us about prices and rents, we got excited about getting to know this market better.  So sometime in the near future,we’ll be heading out for a pre-field trip scouting trip.  And if we like what we see,  The Real Estate Guys™ just might be organizing an Atlanta real estate field trip.

For now, to find out more about the Atlanta real estate market, listen in on the conversation and be sure to check out Bruce’s special report on Atlanta.  We learned a lot and we think you will too!

Listen Now:

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9/25/11: Finding the Right Market with the Right Jobs

Tenants who actually have jobs are far more likely to pay rent than those who don’t…unless you’re renting to Section 8 or retirees.  So you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the durability of your rental income will be closely linked to the durability of the local economy.

And while a lot of real estate”investors” have been focused on flipping distressed properties to foreigners and newbies, if you’re a long term buy and hold investor, then finding the right market with the right jobs is job one.  After all, if you get a “great deal” on a cheap property in an economically declining market, how bright is your investment’s future?

So how do you know if a local market is attractive (or repulsive!) to businesses and job growth?  To find out, we decided to visit with a guy whose full time job is to reach out to businesses and recruit them to move to his city and set up shop.

The voices on this scintillating session on The Real Estate Guys™ radio show:

• Your right on host, Robert Helms
• Your left over co-host, Russell Gray
• The Godfather of Real Estate, Bob Helms
• Special guest, the CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce, John Moore

During a recent trip to Memphis (we were doing some advance work for our upcoming field trip), we had the opportunity to sit down with  two representatives from the Chamber of Commerce.  We learned so much, we thought you would like to hear about it.  So we invited them to call in to the show and tell us about what makes Memphis magic.  We must have made a good impression because they gave the job to their CEO!

Even if you aren’t interested in Memphis (cash flow can be SO boring), you can still learn a lot from this episode, which you can then apply to whatever markets you’re in to.  (If you have one you really like, use our Feedback page to tell us which one(s) and why.  Who knows?  Maybe The Real Estate Guys™ will do a field trip to your town?)

So what makes a market place attractive to businesses?  We know that a company will move to find a more favorable business climate, but what does that look really look like?  And is it really all up to the government, or is there more?

We find out that there are a variety of factors, some of which have to do with taxes and regulation, but many others that have to do with location and who the neighbors are.  Sometimes there are important synergies between businesses, so companies will set up shop simply to be near each other.  Mr. Moore gives us a couple of great examples.  Very interesting!

Of course, as real estate investors, we’re not just interested in jobs for the sake of jobs.  Though after the last few years, ANY job looks pretty good!

But real estate investors are looking for areas where there are the kind of jobs that our ideal tenants will need to be able to consistently pay rent.  Don’t you like the sound of those words? “Consistently pay rent”… like music to our ears!

So listen in to this episode and learn about some of the things you should be thinking about when scouting out your next long term real estate market!

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The Disappearing Middle

Recent reports from the U.S. Census Bureau declared that the U.S. middle class is getting squeezed.  Shocker.  Thank you, Captain Obvious. We were hoping the disappearing middle referred to our beer bellies, but no such luck.

Of course, our good friend Robert Kiyosaki has been saying for years that the rich will get richer, the poor will get poorer and the middle class will get squeezed.  So if you’ve been paying attention, the report from the Census Bureau isn’t a surprise.

The big question is:  what are you going to do about it?

If you’re in the middle class and you’re feeling the squeeze, it may be time to make the leap from employee to entrepreneur.  Yes, it’s hard work.  But so is being poor.  If you’re reading a blog like this, you’re probably already committed to being successful, so we won’t waste time preaching to the choir.

So let’s talk about what a disappearing U.S. middle class means to you as a real estate investor.

In the Clues in the News segments of our Mentoring Club meetings, one of the things we watch for is what “the big dogs” are doing when faced with market shifts. And it isn’t just real estate investors we watch.  It can be fund managers or corporations.  We can learn from anyone who’s watching the economy and managing cash, cash flow, debt and equity.

We saw an article in the Wall Street Journal, As Middle Class Shrinks, P&G Marketing Aims High and Low, that talked about how big corporations are shifting to an “hourglass” marketing strategy.  (When it comes to hourglasses and figures, we understand getting excited…but marketing?  We must be getting old.)

You can read the article yourself, but the point here is that big corporations are making major adjustments to their businesses to adapt to a disappearing U.S. middle class.  Similarly, is there anything a real estate investor should be doing to adjust to the new American reality?

Here are some things to consider:

People will move to where there are jobs.  Duh.  The million dollar question is where in America are their jobs?  If you’ve been watching the Presidential debates, you’ve been hearing about all the jobs in Texas.  Dumb luck or great leadership, it’s no surprise that more people and businesses are moving to Texas than moving out.

People and businesses will move to where it’s cheaper.  State income taxes take a big bite out of most budgets, so look for good investment areas in a no tax (there’s only seven) or low tax state.  Two of our favorites right now are Tennessee and Texas.  Businesses also look for low cost land, a big labor pool (population), and nearby educational institutions.

People will move down before they move away.  They have families and friends and don’t want to leave them.  As the affluent fall down the food chain,  prices will likely soften in the affluent areas, while demand will increase for lower priced properties near those affluent areas.  Watch what’s happening in whatever markets you’re investing in.  Talk to property managers, real estate agents, local resident (it’s amazing what you can learn in a coffee shop!) and the Chamber of Commerce.  Which sub-markets are people and businesses moving away from and to?  As in all investing, the trend is your friend.

Pick markets carefully with “geographically linked” economies.  That is, industries that must be located in the region and can’t be easily moved, if at all.  It’s also important that those industries be permanent (you don’t want to buy all the houses next to video cassette manufacturing plant).

Two great examples of permanent and geographically linked industries are commodities (like oil, gas, lumber, etc.) and distribution.  It might be easy to move a widget manufacturing plant to China or Mexico, but you can’t move mining or farming offshore.  Those jobs have to stay in the area – and those commodities are always in demand.

Similarly, moving boxes from point A to point B is a logistical operation.  Even if the U.S. is poor, there will still be 300+ million people who need food, clothes, household products, etc.  All that stuff might be made in China or Mexico, but it’s moving through the U.S., so those distribution jobs are linked to the real estate.  And it’s not just location, but huge and expensive infrastructure like airports, roads and railways.  Two cities that come to mind are Dallas and Memphis.

Now if the U.S. shakes off the doldrums and comes roaring back to economic life, any market that’s sound in a tough economy will only be more sound in a great economy.  Either way, you win.

 

 

 

 

 

Memphis on My Mind – October 14-16, 2011

The Real Estate Guys™ are leading an enthusiast group of real estate investors on market field trip – and YOU’RE INVITED!!!

Click here now to learn more about the trip.  We’d love to hang out with you in marvelous Memphis!!!

Cash Flow is King

If you’re a fan of the show, you know we’ve been spending a lot of time with Robert Kiyosaki.  One of Mr. K’s favorite words is CASH FLOW (is that one word or two???).

We like cash flow too because it’s where equity comes from.  Income properties are valued by the income they produce.  More income equals more value (equity).  So cash flow and equity investing are NOT mutually exclusive.

One thing you’ll like about Memphis is that properties there tend to CASH FLOW.  Perfect!

The Market Matters

Investing is about being on the right side of demographic and economic moves. When people and money move away, markets weaken.  When people and money move in, markets get stronger.

If you invest in something that others are moving away from (contrarian investing), you may get a deal or may get a dud.  It depends on why the moves are happening.  Do you know what’s happening in the markets you’re in?  Do you know how to tell?  One the biggest benefits of a field trip with The Real Estate Guys™ is we talk about how to read a market.  That’s a skill you can use in ANY market you visit.

On the trip, we’ll talk about what’s moving in Memphis and why.  Good quality of life, low cost of living, and no state income tax are just some of the attractions for both people and businesses.  We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Market Analysis – A Critical Skill for Real Estate Investors

Most people don’t pick markets strategically.  They find a “good deal” and buy it, then figure the market out later.

And many real estate “tours” are about selling properties, not learning the market.  When you explore a market with The Real Estate Guys™, we focus on explaining the market.  While you can learn  a lot about a market from a distance (thanks to Google!), there’s no substitute for actually being there.  And when you’re on one of our field trips, you have experienced guides and lots of other investors to learn from.  Plus, we ALWAYS have a good time. 

Join The Real Estate Guys™ in Memphis October 14-16th, 2011.  Click here for more info.

 

 

 

7/3/11: Apartment Investing Opportunities – Moving Up to the Big Deals

Moving up to the “big deals” is the goal of everyone who plays Robert Kiyosaki’s Cash Flow game, just like going from little green houses to big red hotels is the path to riches in Parker Brothers’ Monopoly.  The bigger the property, the more profit potential there is.

In the real world, the natural progression for real estate investors is to go from single family houses to apartment buildings.  But the real world also means real money, which can be scary in a tenuous economy.

So what’s happening in today’s apartment market and how do you make the transition to the big leagues?

To find out, The Real Estate Guys™ invited a long time investor, CPA and real estate broker to share his pearls of real world wisdom.

Behind the microphones, diving deep into the depths of real estate experience:

• Your host and daring pearl diver of diction, Robert Helms
• Co-host and peerless puller of precious pearls, Russell Gray
• The Godfather of Real Estate, Bob Helms
• Special guest, seasoned investor, CPA, CCIM real estate broker, and really smart dude, Steve Fithian

This episode has a few facets to interest you.

First, Steve has an interesting history as a conservative, corporate CPA turned swash buckling real estate investor, broker and entrepreneur.  Well, swash buckling compared to being a corporate CPA.  But he gave up the “security” of the corporate grind to get on the rocky road to real estate riches.  Along the way, he’s used his education and training to survive a couple of market downturns, so there’s some valuable lessons right there.

Also, Steve’s evolution from small property investor to big apartment investor has more important lessons – especially when making the transition in an uncertain market.  He has strong opinions about how to do it in a safe and sane way.

And of course, Steve’s insights as a commercial real estate broker and property manager in one of the best apartment markets in the nation adds a whole other valuable dimension to this broadcast.  Even more so because he isn’t native to his market.  He chose it strategically and has the unique perspective of looking at the market as both an insider and an outsider.   Steve took our mantra “Live where you want to live, but invest where the numbers make sense” to the next level: “Find our where the numbers make sense and move there.”!

We think it makes sense to listen to an educated, street smart, seasoned professional when it comes to understanding market cycles and the apartment investing opportunities in today’s market.  So tune in to the conversation and prepare to pull some precious pearls of wisdom of your own from this podcast!

The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show and podcast provides real estate investing news, education, training and resources to helps real estate investors succeed.

Field Trip to Washington DC – June 10-12, 2011

The Real Estate Guys™ have organized a wonderful weekend field trip to Washington DC! This is your chance to look at the nation’s capitol not only as a tourist, but as a real estate investor! Investor Summit at Sea™ faculty member Beth Clifford used this market as a case study in her Summit class on due diligence. We were so impressed we asked her if she would lead a tour patterned after our highly successful Dallas field trips. She agreed!

Click here to download your registration form

Washington DC has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation and has been one of the hottest real estate markets in the last year. It’s always been strong, which is no surprise. After all, we always look for strong sustainable economic drivers that bring outside money into a particular geographic region. As home base to the U.S. federal government, it’s a safe bet that there will always be money funneling in and creating both first and second tier employment. And it’s unlikely the federal government will outsource to India or China!

But there’s more to Washington DC than the federal government. As a major metro, it has a big population and lots of infrastructure. And like every major metro, DC has a plethora of sub-markets and pockets of opportunity. There’s no way to understand the nuances of a market without visiting, which is why The Real Estate Guys™ love field trips!

Field Trip Logistics

When you arrive in Washington DC on Friday afternoon, arrive early enough to catch the shuttle and check into your hotel room. Your field trip tuition includes two night at the hotel we choose to serve as home base for the event.

Friday night, we’ll have a meet and greet, followed by a market overview presentation. Then out to dinner! In addition to seeing a market with your own eyes and meeting several potential members for your local team, one of the things people like best about our trips is the opportunity to interact with the tour guides and other “field trippers”. So we create lots of opportunities for interaction. No wallflowers! Developing relationships is one of the most important activities for a real estate investor.

Saturday morning we’re up and at ‘em early. We’ll grab a quick breakfast and hit the road to see the market. We’ll do our best to swing by several of the tourist attractions (also one of the economic drivers), but our main purpose is to compare and contrast the various sub-markets and property types. We want to understand where the best opportunities for cash flow, long term equity growth and/ or quick profits are. We probably won’t figure that out by standing in front of the Washington monument.

Remember, we believe real estate investing is best approached by choosing a market first, then building a team, and then looking for ideal properties. As a result, no properties are for sale on this trip. This isn’t a “fly ‘n buy” or “property tour” where salespeople are eagerly waiting to get you into contract before you fly out on Sunday. You’ll certainly meet some people that you can follow up with when you’re ready, so if you’re hot to buy DC, the trip is still valuable. But our field trips are about understanding the market and building relationships.

Saturday night, we cap off a long day with dinner and conversation before heading back to the hotel for some shut-eye.

Rise and shine on Sunday morning! We’ll have a lively interactive strategy session, some Q&A and our best ideas and action plans debrief. Depending on how much ground we covered on Saturday, we may sneak back out for some more touring. In any case, you’ll learn more about the Washington DC real estate market than most people who live and work there. And you’ll learn due diligence and critical thinking skills that will transfer to any market you decide to explore.

So what are you waiting for? Click here to download your registration form and come explore Washington DC with The Real Estate Guys™!

Explore Enchanting Belize with The Real Estate Guys!

Join Robert Helms, host of The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show for a memorable weekend discovery trip to the beautiful country of Belize!  Three great dates to choose from: Sep 15-18, Oct 6-9 or Nov 3-6, 2011

Why Belize?

Three words: Location, Location, Location (we’ve heard those are important for real estate).

Click here to download your registration form.

Belize is the former British Honduras and is located just under Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Mainland Belize features lush green tropical rain forests, while it’s Eastern border faces the Caribbean ocean safely nestled behind the world’s 2nd largest barrier reef. The islands are postcard perfect and attract vacationers, diving enthusiasts and celebrities alike. Harrison Ford, and more recently, Reese Witherspoon are known to visit Belize for private, relaxing getaways. Leonardo DiCaprio purchased a 110 acre island known as Blackadore Caye. We’ll show it to you when you attend this discovery trip!

But beyond beautiful, Belize has other unique attributes which make it attractive to investors and tourists alike. Belize is the ONLY country in Latin America whose official language is English. This, and the fact that its currency is pegged at a fixed 2:1 exchange rate with the U.S. dollar, make it a friendly place for Americans. Plus there are direct flights from several U.S. cities including Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston and many others. Belize is actually closer for most Americans, Canadians and Europeans than Hawaii!

The Real Estate Guys™ will show you Belize!

Click here to download your registration form.

Robert Helms and his team have been visiting and investing in Belize for several years. He’s led several investor field trips with as few as one couple and as many as forty-five. The feedback on every trip has been over the top positive! Robert will share his extensive market knowledge, introduce you to local market experts, and personally show you the mainland, the islands, and several different developments.

This is an EDUCATIONAL event. This is not one of those “fly n’ buy” sales trips where aggressive salespeople are waiting to pounce on you. We believe the right approach to real estate is to start with the market first, then build a team, and then select property that meets your personal and investment goals. This trip is about exploring the market and meeting people who may become part of your team down the road.

Discover the real estate, banking and lifestyle opportunities available to you in beautiful Belize during a semi-private tour led by The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show host Robert Helms.

Click here to download your registration form.

Trip Logistics

Once you’re enrolled, our registration team will contact you to help arrange your air travel. Your round trip airfare is not included in your tuition, but it’s very important that your arrival is coordinated through our team. While you’re in Belize, virtually all your trip expenses including transportation, hotel accommodations, speaker sessions, materials and most meals are included. Alcoholic beverages, souvenirs, extended stays and certain other incidental expenses are not included. Upon receipt of your completed registration form, we’ll provide you with information about what to wear, pack and expect.

The Opportunity is Now

There are lots of reasons to like a place like Belize (is there any other place like Belize?), but the opportunity today is better than ever!

Americans haven’t lost purchasing power in Belize because of the fixed exchange rate, while many other countries have gained purchasing power because of a soft U.S. dollar. Baby boomers in the U.S. still dream of warm weather, low tax, beautiful places to resort and retire, but many of the more established areas remain relatively expensive in a post recession economy.

Belize offers an English speaking, affordable, “non-touristy”, and reasonably nearby alternative. And popular TV shows like House Hunters International are helping a growing number of people discover Belize as a great option not just for retirement, but also full time residency for a growing new class of telecommuters and independent information workers. Think about it: would you rather sit in a corporate cubicle in Cleveland or a beautiful beach in Belize?

Additionally, Belize still enjoys a great reputation as a tax friendly jurisdiction with strong privacy banking and asset protection laws. As citizens of “developed” countries face increasing concerns about privacy, taxes and frivolous litigation, the affluent are seeking off-shore alternatives in greater numbers than ever.

All of these trends point to increasing demand, but the wave is still growing. Alert investors can position themselves in the market to provide the properties that tourists, retirees, remote workers and ex-pats will want to buy or rent. Besides, if the worst thing that happens is that you have to live or use your property for personal use, would you rather it be a duplex in Detroit or bungalow in Belize? Meanwhile (check with your own tax advisor), once you have investments in Belize, your trips to visit just might be tax deductible. Very cool.

A Visit is with Worth a Million Words

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a personal visit to paradise is worth at least a million. Come see it with your own eyes!

Click here to download your registration form now.

We look forward to seeing YOU in beautiful Belize!

3/27/11: Turnkey Rental Property Solutions for Busy Investors

Sometimes people confuse real estate investing with running a real estate business – especially when everyone says you’re supposed to run your investments like a business.  Confusing isn’t it?  That’s why many people simply turn their money over to Wall Street.  It’s painless and easy.  Like a scalpel.  It’s all fun and games until someone loses their net worth.

Real estate attracts people who want to be closer to real tangible investments they can understand and have more direct control over.  But not everyone has the time, talent or temperament to find, fix up and rent out properties.  So before you pick up a hammer and plunger, you may want to look at turnkey rental property solutions as a great way to get in on all the amazing bargain inventory available today.

What is a turnkey property solution you ask? We wanted to know too, so after our wives had us scour the sink, they let us out to scour the country – and we found a guy who’s been in the turnkey rental property business for nearly 10 years.  He called in and our crack engineering crew patched him into the broadcast.

Lending their voices to this sparkling edition of The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show:

• Your host and shining star, Robert Helms
• Co-host and chief scrub, Russell Gray
• Turnkey Rental Property Purveyor, Practitioner and Pontificator, Terry Kerr

With all the talk about unemployment and real estate entrepreneurship, what if you’re one of the throwback investors who actually have a good job with good income and some investment capital you want to put to work?  That’s where a turnkey provider comes in real handy.  They’re in the business of buying, fixing up, renting out and handing over to you a plug n’ play cash flowing property – complete with long term property management in place.  Now doesn’t that just sound groovy?

But (and as always it’s a big one), not all “turnkey” providers are the real deal.  With all the distressed inventory in the market, banks are dumping it wholesale.  That can be good, but just having a property flipped to you doesn’t mean it’s plug ‘n play.  It end up as “pull the plug”.  Not fun.

To help you avoid this terrible fate, Terry Kerr shares his tips for turnkey property investing – and gives us some local knowledge on a low cost, high cash flow market that you’ve probably heard of, but may not know that well.  And pay attention, because we persuaded Terry to produce a special report on this tantalizing topic so you don’t have to take too many notes.

Listen now:

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The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show podcast provides education, information, training and resources to help investors make money with their real estate investing.

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