Have you ever heard or seen something strange in your home? You think it might be haunted?

Now you can check! There is a service from DiedInHouse.com that you can get some answers. Like the name suggests you can have them do a search to see whom, if anyone, has died in your house.

The site was created after one of the sites founder’s tenants told him he believed the rental property was haunted. So he did some digging. Crazy enough he learned that in most states, there’s no law requiring home sellers or real estate agents to disclose a death that took place in a residence.

For a small fee the site will search hundreds of records to find who died inn your home. It may be worth it if you house is haunted…

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via Utah County Real Estate :: Red Sign Team http://www.redsign.com/is-your-house-haunted/

Did you know most people become wealthy through real estate investing? There are actually many ways Utah real estate can earn you passive income, including property appreciation, tax advantages and rental income. While experienced stock investors earn a 7% average return on investment, you can be making at least this much in real estate without doing much work at all.

 

Mortgage interest rates are at an all time low, while the Utah real estate market is slowly but surely improving. This sets up a golden opportunity for you to find prime investment properties to buy and rent out to tenants because, after all, rental properties are always in demand.

 

So, how do you get this passive income stream to work for you? By purchasing Utah real estate with a low down payment, you’re using leverage to maximize your return on investment on the property. As property values steadily rise, so does your profit when you eventually sell. Meanwhile, you receive monthly rent payments from your tenants that may also continue to increase year after year. While rent may go up, your mortgage payments will remain constant.

 

Your costs to maintain the property remain virtually unchanged while your rental profits and property values continue to climb!

 

Tax Advantages of Passive Real Estate Income

• Still not convinced that passive income is a smart move for you? Here are the many tax benefits you can take advantage of:
• Write off mortgage interest for the amount you borrowed, along with mortgage insurance and property taxes
• Claim depreciation on the property — basically claiming an annual loss without losing money
• Deduct any travel expenses you incur to collect rent or maintain your property
• Deduct the cost of repairs to your investment real estate
• Write off any property management costs, advertising or professional fees
• Passive income is even taxed more favorably than earned income

 

Passive income is considered one of the most important wealth-building tools as you receive regular income without expending much effort! By borrowing money to buy Utah real estate for investing, you can further maximize your profits while minimizing the amount of money you pay out of pocket. What could be better than that?

 

The Red Sign team has years of experience helping people find ideal investment property in Utah. Please contact us to learn more about investment opportunities in our state and find out how we can help you begin earning passive income today.

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via Utah County Real Estate :: Red Sign Team http://www.redsign.com/earn-passive-income-with-rentals/

Did you know real estate investment, when done properly, is one of the most secure investment forms of all? It’s also easy to invest in Utah real estate without a huge down payment, especially if you’re after passive real estate income.

 

Two Ways to Invest in Utah Real Estate 

If you’re thinking about real estate investing in Utah, you have two basic strategies: buying depressed homes to flip or buying income properties to rent out. Flipping properties often has the biggest risk but the highest potential short-term gains. Income properties, on the other hand, can be a steady source of passive income that you can use for your own financial security.

 

The Advantages of Rental Properties

Buying income properties is typically seen as the safer option and it’s easier to get financing in place to buy the real estate. You’ll get a number of tax benefits which include deductions for home depreciation, mileage driven to manage and maintain your property, advertising, repair work and cleaning, homeowners insurance, mortgage interest, property taxes, utilities, tenant credit report fees, management fees and any professional fees. With annual depreciation, you can even show a loss on paper while making money on your property!

 

Because everyone needs a home, Utah real estate investment is stable and offers you steady passive income and real financial security. Property values also tend to climb steadily over time so you’ll be in an ideal situation when you’re ready to sell.

Why Utah? 

Utah was recently voted as one of the best markets in the United States for real estate investment. Salt Lake City property in particular is expected to outperform the market in terms of your return on investment. If you’re a first time homebuyer interested in Utah real estate investment, we can also help you find programs to qualify for 0% down or 3.5% down, depending on your credit. It has simply never been easier to invest in real estate. Prices remain affordable and 30-year mortgages are available as low as 3.38% APR here in Utah as of November 2012.

 

If you’re interested in Utah real estate investment, please contact us to learn more about minimizing your risk and maximizing your profits. We’d love to discuss an investment strategy to help you gain financial security and save for what’s important to you!

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via Utah County Real Estate :: Red Sign Team http://www.redsign.com/investing-in-utah-real-estate-for-financial-security/

Real estate marketing has many components, including those sales signs in front of homes, flyers and online ads. When you’re selling a home, getting the highest price — and quickly — is key. No one wants to sit around waiting for their home to sell for 12 months or longer. So, how can the right real estate agent get your home sold faster?

Prospecting is the key

Prospecting takes many forms, although it’s basically a lead generation tool that introduces new people to your Utah real estate for sale. Rather than sitting back and waiting for interested buyers to stumble on your house, the Red Sign team believes in actively marketing your home so you can sell it faster.

Good prospecting services show that your agent is willing to go above and beyond to help you sell your home in Utah. Prospecting is definitely not enjoyable and it requires long hours on the phone hunting down leads for you. We don’t see our work as a regular 9-5 job; instead, we take the time to develop a unique marketing strategy around your home and situation for real results.

We’ve also found the key to successful prospecting involves building a strong relationship with families and people in our community. Rather than cold-calling people who may not be interested in buying a home, we contact people in our database who have recently purchased a home to see if they know anyone interested in Utah real estate.

Referrals from past clients are more likely to result in real interested buyers for your listing as they’re referred to us from someone they already know and trust.

The Marketing Plan

Prospecting is just one of many marketing strategies we implement to help you sell your Utah home quickly and for the highest price. We’ll develop a complete marketing plan that includes professional photography, staging, yard signs, website syndication, marketing through other agents and more to get your home sold fast.

Contact us today to learn more about our marketing strategy and why our prospecting services are one of the best ways to sell your Utah real estate today.

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via Utah County Real Estate :: Red Sign Team http://www.redsign.com/sell-your-utah-real-estate-faster/

Buying your first home can definitely be overwhelming. As a first time homebuyer, you may not know what to expect in the Utah real estate market and probably don’t know where to start. You may also be wondering if you can even qualify for a loan to buy your first home.

Here are just some of the misconceptions we regularly encounter from first time homebuyers in our area:

• I can’t afford to buy a home. While your income is a very important consideration your lender uses to approve your loan, living within your means is much more important. Your lender wants to make sure you can afford the monthly mortgage payments, as well as insurance. Looking for a home that fits your budget will dramatically improve your odds of approval. You also gain many taxes advantages as a homeowner by deducting property tax, mortgage insurance and mortgage interest payments to offset your costs. You’ll also build equity as your home goes up in price.
• I need a large down payment. While 20% down payments used to be the standard, there are now many options geared toward first time homebuyers. Most Utah real estate qualifies for an FHA loan with a down payment of just 3.5%. We can also help you find lenders that offer mortgage options for first time homebuyers.
• I need excellent credit. While a higher credit score can make it easier to get a loan with more favorable terms, you can qualify for a home loan even with less-than-perfect credit. We’ll help you find a program designed for homebuyers like yourself to put you in your first home with as little as 3.5% down.

How We Can Help

As first time homebuyer specialists, we’re prepared to walk you through every step of the way, from helping you decide how much you can afford and shopping for homes for sale in Utah to viewing homes that interest you and ultimately making that offer.

We also specialize in first time homebuyer programs available in Utah, including loan programs through HUD and down payment grants. We’ll show you just how affordable it is to own a home and do our best to find you a dream home that fits your budget.

Buying your first home doesn’t need to be scary. We strongly believe in empowering our buyers with information they can use to make informed Utah real estate decisions and set them on the path to long-term financial success.

Please contact us today to learn more about available programs for first time homebuyers and what we can do for you.

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via Utah County Real Estate :: Red Sign Team http://www.redsign.com/why-you-need-a-first-time-homebuyer-specialist/

Everywhere you turn, you’ll find advice telling you where you should put your money, from a 401(k) or IRA to gold, stocks and CDs. While none of these are bad options, per se, they may not give you the highest return on investment and there’s one thing they can’t offer: control. After all, you can’t raise the interest rate you earn on a CD, nor can you increase the value of your stock portfolio or the cost of gold.

 

If you want true control over your own investment, it’s time to consider the benefits of investing in rental properties in Utah. While investing in Utah real estate is a bit more complicated and hands-on than, say, buying and holding stock, it has the potential to provide you with stable, passive income for the rest of your life.

Control Risks with Utah Real Estate

People tend to be more comfortable investing their money when they are actively involved in the decision-making process, and investing in real estate allows YOU to control your own risk. The Utah real estate market is certainly less volatile than the stock market, and much easier to understand. You’re buying something tangible, and you determine how risky you want your investment to become by deciding how much leverage you want to use.

 

How Does Leverage Work? 

Real estate is the only investment that allows you to buy something so expensive with very little of your own money. Leveraging is basically borrowing money to fund your purchase, and the amount of leverage you use amplifies your risk and reward, allowing you to control more assets and potentially enjoy a much higher return on investment (ROI). The greater the leverage you use, the more equity in the property increases or decreases with changes in property values.

 

The average unleveraged ROI for residential income property is 10.2%, making it an excellent and low-risk investment strategy. With a 25% down payment (or leverage), you can increase your return to over 20%!

 

Reduce Your Taxes

Not only does Utah real estate investment allow you to increase your potential through leverage, you can also reduce your taxes. Actively participating in the management of a rental property allows you to enjoy a multitude of tax deductions, from the mortgage interest you pay on your loan and your insurance premiums to the cost of routine maintenance and travel. What other investment strategy offers this?

 

Actively Participate in Growing Your Wealth

Finally, purchasing Utah income properties allows you to take an active role in increasing the value of your investment and growing your wealth over time. Rather than sitting back and waiting for your investment to generate a return, you can make improvements to the property like painting the trim, adding landscaping and remodeling to see immediate returns and increase the amount of rent you can charge.

 

If you’re ready to take control of your financial future and your investments, look no further than Utah income properties. Generate long-term, passive income, actively work to increase the value of your properties and use leverage to multiply your potential returns. What else could you ask for? To learn more, contact the team at Red Sign today!

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via Utah County Real Estate :: Red Sign Team http://www.redsign.com/want-control-why-you-should-invest-in-utah-rental-properties/

While email campaigns, for sale signs and flyers will help to market your home and generate attention, a great agent knows that marketing your home to other agents is a winning strategy. More than 30% of all sales activity comes from agent-to-agent interaction, so you need a Utah real estate agent who will go the extra mile and actively market you home to other agents in the area if you want your home to sell quickly.

 

Before your agent even prints up brochures for your home, they’ll start by listing your property with the local MLS, or Multiple Listing Service. This database shows all homes listed by local agents who are members of the service, which his nearly all of them.

 

Your property listing will have all sorts of important information, including general information about the square footage and number of rooms, as well as details like whether it has hard wood flooring, any recent upgrades or special features. It will also feature pictures and a short description of what makes your home unique.

Agents representing buyers will search this database for homes that fit the needs of their clients searching for Utah real estate just like yours, and many will want to preview the home before showing it to clients. Having your home listed in the MLS is important because it expands your sales force, essentially putting hundreds of agents to work on your home.

 

A great Utah real estate agent won’t rest there, however; they’ll actively reach out to these other agents to tell them about your home and encourage them to put it first on their list of property tours for their buyers. There are many ways your agent may do this, including:

Agent-oriented flyers, which are brochures designed to help other agents show your listing. These flyers often have information that you wouldn’t put in a marketing brochure for buyers, such as a heads-up about a messy tenant living space. These brochures are sent out to agents representing buyers in the area.

Email marketing, which includes graphic new listings to make your home stand out.

Open houses for agents, which are designed to make other agents fall in love with your home and then show it extensively to their buyers.

Old-fashioned phone calls, which your agent uses to reach out to other agents in the area to talk about the features of your home and ask if they have any buyers who might be interested.

 

If you want to make sure your Utah real estate sells fast, make sure you get on board with the team at Red Sign, who will aggressively market your home through all available avenues, including other agents. Want to know more? Contact us today to learn more about our marketing strategy!

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via Utah County Real Estate :: Red Sign Team http://www.redsign.com/does-your-agent-market-your-home-to-other-agents/