Phil Aitken
Phil Aitken
Owner/Broker

Blog

Homeward Bound Impactful Real Estate News

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Happy FREEDOM month!  We assume the rights of freedom and debate its boundaries in politics, yet how often do we take time to reflect on what freedom means to us personally? Freedom is not a concept carved from stone; it is malleable and personal, always shifting shape depending on where you find yourself standing and the angle […]

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5 Criteria for Investment Realtors

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Realtors specializing in investment properties are not hard to find.  However, the experienced investment agents who are truly knowledgeable regarding the world of investment properties adhere to certain criteria and a special set of skills.  While most agents focus on buying and selling clients, searching for investment properties and negotiating business contracts are different ball […]

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Predicting on a Curve

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Economists and real estate experts are always predicting the “next” recession based on factors such as timing, observation of market patterns, and various economic data.  There is also a key element factored into such predictions that are known as the “yield curve.” A yield curve is a representation of changing interest rates as related to […]

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Fannie Mae & The “Due-on-Sale” Clause

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Fannie Mae no longer requires investors to occupy a home in order to be exempt from the due-on-sale clause as long as the loan on the home was secured after June 1, 2016.  Investors can now relax a bit as the ownership and transfer of investment properties is much easier, allowing for greater profit opportunities.  […]

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5 Tips for Social Media

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We are living in the social media era.  Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat (to name a few) now rule the way the world communicates and the avenue by which house hunters prefer to shop.  The gratification is instant, making the hunt shorter as the process of “weeding out” unwanted properties is vastly […]

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Time to Refinance?

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As home loan rates have decreased since 2018, significant savings abound for anyone who has purchased a home in the past two years and is contemplating refinancing.  For example, those who hold a $250K mortgage could save roughly $2,200 annually as rates are currently down by 1.25%, the lowest since 2016.  Unfortunately, this is not […]

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5 Surprise Expenses for New Homeowners

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America: land of the free, home of the brave, mecca of optimism and credit card debt beyond comprehension.  Yet, eighty-five percent of American millennials hold to every expectation that they will secure the American Dream via homeownership, yet they don’t actually have a plan for execution and are often subject to fall under the heading […]

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7 Ways to Avoid HOA Fees

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HOA’s (Home Owners’ Association) are often viewed as the “bad guys” of homeownership.  In fact, many homeowners don’t recognize the need to submit to HOA rules and regulations because they do, after all, own the property and believe they should be free to live accordingly.   It is true that some HOA’s can be overly […]

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6 Reasons Multifamily Properties Are Picking Up Speed

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1.  The 1031 There are a TON of 1031 tax-deferred exchanges occurring at the present time resulting in gargantuan profits for multifamily syndicator/investors post-recession.  We might be in for some serious record-breaking taxation, so hold on!  This exchange permits sellers to trade assets for assets while avoiding capital gains taxation until the time at which […]

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