Why The TEAM Matters…

And YES this has absolutely nothing to do with the playoffs…

Today’s Blog has everything to do with improving your real estate investment results by joining the RIGHT TEAM.

I have been doing a lot of public speaking lately, the subject of which continues to be educating Investors as how important it is to assemble a TEAM that can improve your chances of success.

The fact of the matter is that it is difficult and time consuming to put together a winning TEAM…and…wouldn’t it be easier just to join a winning TEAM?

I am inviting you to join the Market Advisors TEAM; our expert bird-dogs who feed us property deals in choice markets, our phenomenal design team that can transform a wreck of an REO into a valuable property (Watch Foreclosure Makeover), the portfolio managers who maximize the value of our Funds assets, to our expert Preferred Advisors who can counsel our clients investment/retirement strategy, together with our continuous education (Webinars and Seminars) make for a priceless combination.

Why not supercharge your investment and retirement portfolio today! Contact Us and find out how you can join our TEAM.

Disaster strikes Haiti…where next?…do the right thing!

When cataclysmic tragedy strikes we, as fellow Human Beings, can empathize with those who are suffering. Certainly the events in Haiti are a reminder to all of us that everything we have can be lost in an instant. As fellow Americans we should be proud that we have organizations comprised of  people who jump to the call of need when disaster strikes, at home or abroad.

The organization that I am most thankful for is the American Red Cross. Do you realize how much this organization does not only at our community level, but for others around the world? I strongly suggest you take a look , here is their website, Red Cross

Now do the right thing;

Text 24357 with the message GIVE, this will send $5 to the Red Cross. Here is the link for the instructions Click Here

Now send the link to this blog to everyone you know to do the same.

Do the right thing.

John

California….Best Bet.

I want to share the latest TIME magazine cover article…

“Despite Its Woes, California’s Dream Still Lives”

by Michael Grunwald, October 23,2009.

Please read Mr. Grunwald’s article, you will be able to understand why Market Advisors is currently building its residential investment portfolio in select communities in California.

“It’s still a dream state. In fact, the pioneering megastate that gave us microchips, freeways, blue jeans, tax revolts, extreme sports, energy efficiency, health clubs, Google searches, Craigslist, iPhones and the Hollywood vision of success is still the cutting edge of the American future — economically, environmentally, demographically, culturally and maybe politically. It’s the greenest and most diverse state, the most globalized in general and most Asia-oriented in particular at a time when the world is heading in all those directions. It’s also an unparalleled engine of innovation, the mecca of high tech, biotech and now clean tech. In 2008, California’s wipeout economy attracted more venture capital than the rest of the nation combined. Somehow its supposedly hostile business climate has nurtured Google, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Facebook, Twitter, Disney, Cisco, Intel, eBay, YouTube, MySpace, the Gap and countless other companies that drive the way we live.”

Read On !

Building A Successful Real Estate Portfolio

Investing in this foreclosure real estate market requires a determined effort to search through the quantities of foreclosures available and find the “diamonds” hidden within. Not an easy task…but certainly rewarding.

At Market Advisors we measure acquisition opportunities through a matrix of parameters to “mine” the target properties which best fit our portfolio at Market Advisors Real Estate Fund LP. Here are two basic principles which are the foundation of our search…

• Location
• Price Imbalance

OK so location is obvious (or is it?) and I certainly have covered our location principles in our Webinars.

But, some of you may ask what I mean by price imbalance? In our definition it is ” short term value loss” meaning prices depressed by short term circumstances that can be remedied. This is not simply supply and demand, but a circumstance where a property is priced below its current market due to; condition, or lack of lender availability.

These opportunities are few and far between within a target community or location, but when they surface they are “diamonds in the rough”.

Maximize and Energize Your Retirement Portfolio.

Today I am attending PENSCO Trust Company’s “Advanced Education Seminar” in Las Vegas. Several excellent and timely topics that have me thinking about our Readers and looking forward to sharing some valuable tips to help you maximize the returns in your retirement portfolio.

1. Make sure your retirement accounts are taking adavantage of all the opportunties available. (Go to our FREE Webinars to find out from the experts)
2. Be sure to diversify your portfolio into real estate. (Foreclosure opportunities are providing excellent returns for your retirement portfolio)
3. Find out more about how you can take control of your retirement funds and invest in assets you know and understand. (Find out more here)

Stay tuned for more from Las Vegas.

Why It’s Time to Retire the 401(k)…Comments

Did you see the cover of TIME Magazine this week? Interesting article on the “state of the 401K”. Written by Stephen Gandel, the article mostly covers the loss of significant retirement assets by individuals throughout the USA over the last 18 months. Basically almost 30% or more of retirement account values have been lost due to the stock market correction. Mr. Gandel does a good job of highlighting troubling examples of certain individuals, and then mostly draws attention to the debate of how retirement accounts should be insured (such as the way of pensions) and not tied to the fluctuations of wall street (which is the way of the mutual fund industry).

I find it quite intriguing though that not once in this massive cover story is there any mention of individuals being able to place their retirement funds under their own control and invest in assets that they know and understand other than from a menu of “mutual funds”.

Perhaps if hard working people were more aware of the choices that are available to them with “self-directed IRA and other qualified plans” the financial meltdown of the last 18 months may not have been as severe and painful.

Read TIME cover story.

“7 retirement account mishaps that cost big”

I came across this article written by Sheyna Steiner of Bankrate.com. And I wanted to point one of the mishaps that are referred to, that I find particularly important.

Letting old accounts languish

It amazes me the billions of dollars left in old 401k accounts that were set up with previous employers. Take control of those funds and put them to work in investments that you enjoy and understand! It’s simple to do.

If you want to read all of Sheyna’s article click here.

Home Price Gains Are Seasonal and Federally Fueled…Bravo Diana!

Once again I want to share these words of wisdom from our friend Diana Glick of CNBC…check this out.

“I’m not a bear, I’m a realist. Let’s get that out first.

Today’s headlines from the folks at S&P/Case Shiller are not untrue, they’re just not the whole picture. Yes, home prices, in most areas (and by no means everywhere) are no longer in freefall. Some local markets have hit bottom, others are falling less precipitously, and still others are showing some strength.

But if we’re going to be forced to spew these national numbers, that the markets seem to crave (for some reason that I generally and specifically don’t understand), then we have to take them with not a grain, but a shaker of salt. The top ten and top twenty market composites that the S&P/CS folks report are off their lows that we saw at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009. Even the year over year numbers show it.”

Diana goes on to point out…quite intelligently I might add…that the rebounds we are seeing in the real estate markets are results of government intervention, certainly not a bad thing, and most definitely a necessity. But, proper perspective and an understanding of all the facts are key to successful investing.

Read all of Diana Glick’s blog here.

I want to invite my readers to comment back to me…tell me your perspective of this exciting real estate market.

Market Advisors Fund Portfolio Value Jumps 25% Since August ‘09

If you have been following our BLOG, or the past 20 issues of our newsletter REO WEEKLY, or tuned into one our WEBCASTS, then you have heard or read repeatedly about our methodology as to how we buy foreclosure properties for our INVESTMENT FUND.

The facts are that our investors have been receiving their monthly cash flow since inception and they are now enjoying a portfolio valuation increase in excess of 25%.

I invite you to read what some of our Investors are saying and inviting you to learn more about MARKET ADVISORS REAL ESTATE FUND LP.

Millions more foreclosures coming & 2 out of 5 working-age Californians jobless

I just spent two action packed days with a group of wonderful people at the PENSCO annual 2-day Symposium in San Francisco.  The theme of this years Symposium – “Stimulate Your Retirement and Rescue Your Savings Now!”  It was a great event with abundant information for everyone’s consumption.  One key piece of information, in particular, that I walked away with was related to our economy, recovery and (you guessed it!) the foreclosure market.  I would say without exception, all of the speakers, sponsors and attendees of this event are of the opinion that we still have a huge foreclosure problem facing us in 2010

Okay, I know you are all saying, Paul when are you going to stop harping about this foreclosure problem!  I’ll be honest with you; if the media and supposed “experts” out there would just be honest with us then I wouldn’t have to keep harping on the issue.  To that end, I came across an article in MSNBC this week that seemed to address the foreclosure problem head on.  The information came out of Reuters and was titled “Treasury: Millions more foreclosures coming – Official says a strong market is crucial for the economy” (check it out here).  The Official they are referring to is Michael Barr the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions.

In the article Barr referred to the government’s loan modification program called the Home Affordability Modification Program (HAMP) when he said that “even if HAMP is a total success, we should still expect millions of foreclosures”.  Now that is coming from Treasury itself.  In other words, dig in and brace yourself – we’re still in for a bumpy ride.

Add to that growing unemployment and we still have some work to do before we “bottom out”.  As you also probably know, at Market Advisors we feel strongly that unemployment is a key driver behind foreclosures and until it starts to improve we don’t anticipate a recovery.  As for the current state of unemployment there was an interesting article in the Sacramento Bee this week reporting on a study by a non-profit organization that had some frightening results.

The study by the California Budget Project, a Sacramento-based nonprofit research group, reported that 2 of every 5 Californians of working age are currently out of work.  That is a staggering 40% of the California work-force.  So, who are they including in this incredible number?  Well, they start with those receiving unemployment benefits, add those on welfare, plus those no longer looking for work, add those unwilling to work, and the result is – well, ominous!  Check out the article here and if you want to see that actual report, click here and go right to it.