How Can the Average Person Build Wealth in Real Estate?

Books on real estate are a dime a dozen–and most focus on taking advantage of someone else’s misfortune. They frequently describe lofty methods for buying and selling properties no ordinary citizen can be successful using.

Real estate professional Dan Auito has had enough of books that waste people’s time, money, and effort, and sap their will to believe in their abilities. So he has written “Magic Bullets in Real Estate: Your Guide to Understanding and Using Real Estate to Your Best Advantage,” which reveals how every person can live a life of prosperity and security. It describes in detail a concrete plan to find, negotiate, contract, buy, sell, rehabilitate, and flip properties–as well as manage tenants, taxes and tradesmen.

“The book gives strategies on how to zero in on specific real estate,” explained Auito, who has bought, sold and rented many properties over the last fourteen years. “It gives practical, affordable steps for achieving results–without paying commissions or management fees.”

This common sense, enthusiastic guide dispels the myth that investors need agents and managers to work on their behalf. It describes how to use mentors, appraisers, real estate attorneys, title companies, lenders and a supportive group of educated parties to inform, educate, guide and encourage. Auito said that by reading about what has worked for him and seeing how it has worked, individuals can save vast amounts of money and frustration.

“I don’t want to waste people’s time with philosophical tales of how I or someone else made it in real estate,” Auito said. “I want to give people the real facts so they have a clear understanding of how things are done.”

Money and finance play a critical role in real estate and this invaluable resource offers insight into the many financing alternatives available. The author describes insider tricks of the trade for first-time buyer strategies, long-term investment planning, negotiation basics, lending guidelines, networking principles and more.

There is even a road map for dealing with setbacks along with the way. Problems, Auito explains, are only temporary.

“Simply proceed and take corrective action based on what caused the failure. Action cures fear!” He emphasizes.

He encourages readers to take the bull by the horns and wrestle with the problem to the point that it can be overcome. Persistence and perseverance are key.

Auito promises that readers will be able to set their real estate goals and achieve them after reading this book. “I even offer a money-back guarantee,” he said. “People have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

*Magic Bullets in Real Estate* is available online at: www.magicbullets.com/home.php & can be purchased in bookstores or by sending $19.95 (plus $4.95 shipping and handling) to BookMasters Inc., 30 Amberwood Parkway, Ashland, OH 44805. Call credit card orders to 1-800-247-6553; fax 419-281-6883.

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Winter is a Great Time For Home Improvement Projects

The most popular time for home improvement projects is the spring and summer. After all, who wants to paint their house or put on a new roof when snow is falling? That doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t many projects you can tackle in the winter. In fact, you can even save money by undertaking jobs in the off season.

Since business slows down in the colder weather, contractors and home and garden stores often have specials this time of year. Of course, you don’t need to spend a ton of money to make your home look (and work!) better.

Many home improvement projects can be done by a homeowner with a do-it-yourself spirit and a small budget. While some jobs are best left for the warmer months, many jobs are well suited for working indoors, and don’t require you to be outside in the elements, thus can be pursued in the winter.

For example, you may want to paint the inside of your house. Modern paints are not as toxic as they once were, and they do not give off fumes as strong as in years past. You can beat the lines at the hardware store and rent the equipment you need to make indoor painting painless. Power sprayers are available for rent or borrow in every city and turning up the heat can help the paint dry more quickly.

If you can handle your own carpeting, installing a new color can be done during the winter without the aid of a carpeting crew. Carpeting prices may also be cheaper during the winter.

There are many indoor maintenance projects you might want to consider now too.

Burst pipes can cost a fortune, and the old standby of letting water drip slowly doesn’t always work. Installing heat tape on your pipes is easy to do yourself, and is cheaper than having a plumber do. The tape, which is actually a cord more often than not, wraps around exposed pipes that may freeze. You plug it into a standard outlet and it warms up the pipes, preventing them from freezing. Heat tape must be plugged into an outlet with a ground (3-plug) to work properly.

Changing light fixtures can obviously be performed indoors and provides an excellent opportunity to add higher efficiency lights and seals. Installing lights and fans is a fairly simple process and fans can be purchased on line, eliminating the need to drag them home through the snow. Simply put in the order, and they will be delivered to your doorstep.

Organization is a different type of maintenance that you can undertake in the colder months. Let’s face it: everyone can think of some area of their home that needs to be reorganized. Instead of feeling cooped-up inside, use the time to clean out closets and install shelving units or storage cabinets. Old boxes and drawers can be opened and cleaned out. Many areas have organizations that would be happy to take old coats and clothes from you during the winter as well.

As you can see, there are many ways to improve the look and functionality if your home this winter. As always, the hard part is getting off the couch to do it…