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"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."

Cicero - 55 BC
Apparently, absolutely nothing!

Yesterday, I was on the phone with a private investor. They are one of several who were tentatively interested in a fund we were putting together for 2010. Then things changed and we decided to put the fund on hold. But, I stay in touch with those who showed interest, because we will put the fund together, eventually.

For the life of me I can't imagine why anyone would own any airline stocks right now. No, they are not under valued. No, they are not over sold. There is a fundamental problem preventing airlines from performing well and their stock price reflects that.
No, things are not about to get better.
The flying public is quickly running out of patience with the incompetence and intrusiveness of the TSA. Unfortunately, the airlines will pay the price when the flying public says, "ENOUGH!" and stops flying.

Starting February 1, 2010 FHA is waiving the 90 day seasoning rule designed to discourage flipping.

If you have been around in real estate investing circles for any amount of time you've no doubt heard the claims and horror stories about why you should be using entities to hold your real estate instead of holding title in your own name. If you are serious about your investing, you should have a coordinated, clear, logical and comprehensive strategy you use when holding title. You should devise that strategy with the help of your attorney and tax advisor. There is no generically right answer. It very much depends on your unique situation.

This was accidentally posted here by mistake. You can read the article at...

http://timowensby.com/think-it-global-positioning-system-your-real-estate-investing

Many in the real estate industry are trumpeting an impending rebound in residential real estate. They are talking about how the extended tax credit programs for home buyers will push up the demand and save the real estate industry.
While there is no doubt these tax credits will help home buyers because they essentially cover much of the needed downpayment, they are not the panacea the pundits imagine, especially not for traditional real estate agents and brokers.

Wait, before you jump off this page mumbling about how insensitive or cruel I am, you might want to read on.

There are so many options available to a landlord now to receive their rent there is no reason you should be waiting for a tenant to pay you.

Unless you only accept cash... which is foolish in my opinion.

Ask any real estate investor and by far their biggest problems are with managing the assets they are so eager to acquire.
It doesn't matter whether they manage their properties themselves or hire a property manager. The majority of their problems, concerns, headaches, worries and losses all revolve around property management.
It is tedious, time consuming, error prone and the consequences for a mistake can be devastating.

Property managers are having a tough time. Yeah, I know, I can hear the mock sounds of pity from investors who have been burned by property managers.
But, even the good ones are having trouble. No, you are not more likely to suddenly find yourself face to face with a unicorn than finding a good property manager. If the property manager you as an investor chose sucks or sucked, it is much more your fault than theirs.