Charles Fischer

Many Realtors know an investor or two. But, Do you take them your hard to sell deals? Well you should. I hear many Realtors say that they have a hard time finding reputable investors who can think creatively.

How to find a reputable investor:

*First, contact your local REIA ( Real Estate Investors Association) Find out who the most active members are. Usually the most active have the most experience.

* Check AR, there are many active investors right here on this site. Interview potential investors and find out how many transactions they have been involved in and how many years they have been in business.

*Ask them for references from sellers and from other Realtors. Most pro REI's have worked with several Realtors throughout their careers.

* Visit their office. Many of the pros will have an office as well.

A professional REI can be a valuable resource to you!

This market certainly presents some challenges, and many opportunities as well! As a REI ( Real Estate Investor), I seek to structure transactions that will solve the seller's problem. There are many legal and creative techniques available to achieve the desired result.

We seek a Win-Win in all of our transactions. The goal is simple: solve the homeowner's problem and create a reasonable profit for ourselves. Does that sound fair? We think so.

While we primarily conduct our business in Brevard County, Florida, we will look at deals across the U.S. Have a short-sale with no action? A transfered seller that needs to move a property? A landlord that is sick and tired of landlording? We may be able to help. Send me an e-mail at charles@thmllc.com.

Thanks,

Charles Fischer

Director of Investor Relations

THM Investments, LLC

www.thmllc.com

I have suspected for some time that the truth of the matter is that most of our foreclosures stem from investment property. A recent article in the Florida Today confirms it. see article here: http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090208/NEWS01/902080316&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSELBrevard county housing has taken a big hit recently, but the numerous programs to slow foreclosures has seemed ineffective. Maybe because according to the clerk of the court for Brevard county "fewer than 1,100 of more than 14,000 properties" that have been foreclosed were "homesteaded". This means that only 8% of recent foreclosure activity can be attributed to homeowners losing their homes. The rest, were investment properties.

Funny thing is that most ALL of the programs available to stop foreclosure are for homeowners, not investors. So almost 100% of the programs for 8% of the people. This make NO sense at all. See, most of these evil. wicked, mean and nasty investors are my neighbors, local business owners, doctors, soccer-moms etc. These folks were just trying to secure their financial future by investing in real estate. Some people say they got what they deserved. Wow, that is an intelligent comment, What we all got was a bum market,, a recession. Is that what we deserved? Let's get real.

Now that we know where the real help is needed, will it arrive? While I am an optimist, I am also a realist, so the answer is most probably not. The people who lost these investment properties, for the most part, they are the hard-working, get-ahead type. That's why they got involved in the first place. They are the worker ants in our society. You know how after a rain storm that ant pile in your yard looks destroyed, but is back in what seems like just hours? A resilient bunch, not the grasshoppers that wait for a hand-out.

So the good news is that the impact on Brevard homeowners is less than expected. In a time when we will take whatever good news we can get, this is very welcomed. Let's pick up and move forward. Once we get this real estate market moving again, the rest of the economy will follow.

I have noticed that the inventory on our local MLS board has been droppping. Actually since Nov 2008, we have shed about 20% of our listings. It was suggested that this was attributed to listings expiring at the end of the year and that the number would bounce back mid-January. So far we have not seen the bounce back. I believe that the transfer of Short sales to REOs has created a flow again as many short sale listings were sitting and eventually became (with more to follow) REOs. THe banks are now slashing prices until the properties are sold. Its good to see inventory moving again.

A recent article in the Orlando Sentinel cites, among other things, that the available inventory in the Orlando market has dropped year end 07 to year end 08 by nearly 50%. See the article at http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/thrifty/orl-homes1309jan13,0,4900604.story .

The big question for us here in Brevard County is whether or not this will carry over to us in 2009. As we struggle under the cloud of KSC and its uncertain future, it seems unlikely. However, I come back to the same point as in my previous post: investors are buying. The cash flow is strong and growing. Real Estate is still a smart investment. There have been many good companies that have filed bankruptcy and seen their stock fall to zero. Its difficult, if not impossible, to find any property that has lost ALL its value. Almost inconceivable. Real estate has historically been a strong investment, now possibly more than at any time in recent history. And with the relative affordability of Brevard County houses and the easy access to Central Florida, the secret may soon be out.