Today, consumers have better access to financial services than any previous generation. Up until the 1960s, the cost of essential services such as housing and education were much lower than today. Combined with a smaller income gap and booming industrial sector, financing large expenses was not as essential as it is today. In 1971, Richard […]
Is Becoming a Landlord Right for You?
Many people consider renting out property as a steady, passive income stream. After you purchase the property, you find tenants and wait for them to pay your mortgage (if any), then enjoy your extra profit. While being a landlord can be lucrative, it’s not for everyone. Beyond the initial investment of purchasing a home, you […]
Would You Get a Mortgage Without Your Spouse?
When my fiance and I started planning our future together, one thing we both agreed on was to sell his current house and buy a house together. While his house is great, we both agree it’s time to move to a better neighborhood and into a house with a pool (almost a must when you […]
Cohousing: An Affordable Option or Utopian Dream?
Picture a walkable community, where everyone knows each other, people come together for community activities, and neighbors help each other with home projects. This dream is neither a small town nor a cult commune, but rather cohousing, where communities are often located just outside of big cities. In a previous post, we discussed moving abroad […]
Does Cost of Living Affect Where You Live?
I am fortunate to live in one of the most temperate climates in the world, but that comfort comes at a huge cost. It’s hard to leave your family, friends and loved ones behind though in order to save a few bucks (actually a lot of bucks). Today, PF Pro contributor, Kali Hawlk takes a […]
Should I Cash Out Refi To Pay For My Wife’s Student Loans?
For those who weren’t aware, going to medical school can be pretty expensive. Our current debt load from just under a year and a half of schooling now sits at $65,000. We’re actually lucky to ‘only owe’ that much too since there are private schools that are much more expensive than the public school my […]
Is AirBnB A Good Way To Make Money?
As most of you are well aware I am always looking for new, easy and fun ways to make money. In fact, that’s one of my passions in life: making money by doing things that I already enjoy. And since I started my rideshare site, I’m obviously now very involved with the sharing economy. So […]
5 Red Flags of Real Estate Investments
Today I’m hosting a post from Jennifer Riner of Zillow. I’ve already got one investment property but I’m always looking for another 🙂 Investing in rental homes proves quite lucrative for smart investors who diligently vet out potential properties prior to making offers. But not all investments turn out profitable, especially for first-time buyers unaware […]
Americans Think Owning a Home is Better For Them Than it is
One of my readers sent me this article last week, it was titled: Americans Think Owning a Home is Better For Them Than it is. As you guys know, I’m a huge proponent of using real estate to build wealth. Whether it’s your primary residence or a rental property, real estate should always be treated like […]
Reader Question: $300,000 to Invest: What Should I Do?
I received an interesting question in my inbox the other day from one of my readers. I’ve edited it a bit but it went something like this: PF Pro. I’m 30 and I have very inconsistent income but when I do make money it’s usually a lot. I made $50,000 the last two months but […]
5 Things You Need to Know Before Becoming a Landlord
Many people view real estate as an excellent source of passive income. Once you put up your initial investment – in other words, once you buy your rental property – all the rest is just gravy when your tenants start writing you a rent check every month. While some people have had significant financial success […]
Depreciation is My New Best Friend
I just submitted my taxes and it felt good. The sense of accomplishment this year was especially gratifying because I got a lot of money back. Normally if you get money back it’s because you didn’t do a very good job of calculating your estimated withholding. But 2013 was the first year I got to […]
Check Out My First Podcast for LandlordU
I realized a long time ago that I was good at making money. I’ve also known for a while that I am pretty cheap and that’s made me a good saver. But it wasn’t until around 5 years ago that I started really focusing on investing. I talk about a lot of personal finance topics […]
What can landlords do to make rental properties more attractive?
Making properties available for rent in this day and age can be pretty lucrative in both the United States and United Kingdom, but why is it the case? In both countries, this can be attributed to rising property prices, which are forcing many house-hunters to look to rental properties instead. In the UK, the property […]
Diversify Everything
Whenever I hear someone get really excited about their latest investment, I tend to think the worst. It’s not that I don’t want that person to succeed but I usually worry they’re making a big mistake. Any time I see a friend buy a house, I wonder if they spent more than they can afford. […]
What is a Mortgage Calculator?
The decision between buying or renting a property is a tough one. There are lots of factors to consider but for a lot of people it ultimately comes down to the financial sense of it all. You can look at buy vs rent spreads all you want but if you only plan on living in […]
Pros and Cons of Refinancing Your Home Mortgage Loan
Gary Dek is a former investment banker and private equity analyst. Don’t hate him – he had nothing to do with the mortgage crisis and the recession. He writes at Gajizmo.com – check out his site sometime. There are excellent reasons for refinancing a home, but before deciding to do so, homeowners should be aware […]
How Age and Personal Finance Affects Home Preference
The following article is a guest post. If interested in submitting a guest post, please read my guest posting policy and then contact me. Buying your own property is probably as big a decision as getting married is for most people. Well, not as important, but it’s definitely up there. Anyways, what I’m simply trying to say is […]
Should I Buy a House Now While Interest Rates are Still Low?
Over the past few years, many articles I’ve read have repeated the same mantra: “Now is the time to buy real estate.” Interest rates were low and they couldn’t go any lower, whoops, they did. Since purchasing my condo in 2010, I’ve re-financed twice due to mortgage interest rates dropping and although we’re getting closer […]
Valentine’s Edition of Weekend Reading
I decided not to write a Valentine’s Day article this year since they’re pretty ubiquitous around the web right now. But if you’d like to read about some ways to save money on Valentine’s Day, check out my article from last year. I love celebrating Valentine’s Day, but I definitely do it my own way. […]