The majority of people that invest in a retirement plan are clueless about the options available to them.  Most have their 401k or IRA account through their employer or managed by some larger financial institution (supposedly looking out for the investor’s best interests).  The sad fact is that most people do not even know what their investments are made up of.  They just contribute money to a plan for someone else to manage.  This is a retirement ‘plan’, but just whose ‘plan’ is it?

Up until about 2 years ago, I had the same line of thinking.  Work for a corporation and contribute to a 401k comprised of a diversified portfolio of mutual funds.  It was not until I saw my retirement account get hammered by the economic downturn that I woke up and saw that I needed to take control.  At the end of the day, it needed to be my ‘plan’. After doing some research, I stumbled on a company that specialized in self-directed retirement accounts.  This was a concept that I had not heard before.  A retirement plan that truly allows the investor to direct what they are invested in, such as Arizona investment property.

Arizona investment property can make a great addition to a retirement plan, especially with how many opportunities are present in the current real estate market.  Property prices are significantly discounted and state of the current rental market is driving up returns on cash flow investments.  I recently picked up a condominium, within my retirement account, as a cash flow investment that is returning over 11%.  The best part about it is that now I have full control of my retirement.

This is not a solicitation for self-directed retirement accounts nor am I a licensed financial planner. I am an individual investor who was tired of someone else planning my retirement.  The option of self-directing your retirement plan may not fit into your investment strategy, but at least you now know something you may not have known before reading this post. 

Whether you are purchasing Arizona investment property through your retirement plan or through any other means, it is important to align yourself with a company that truly has your best interests at heart.  Learn more about how Clear Vision Investment Group can be your partner in building a successful portfolio of Arizona investment property.

If you are interested at all in preserving or creating wealth… This video is a must see! In order to invest wisely, you have to know the game. And, Mike Maloney and friends give you the landscape and the rules to the game played by the rich in this documentary called, “Why Gold & Silver”. Be sure and pay attention to what is said about investment property…

Arizona invesment property may allow you to shield yourself from many of the issues laid out in the movie about. Contact us today. Get your questions answered. Just get moving today!

These days retail home owners and renters have some decisions to make… It seems as thought the current market has the retail buyer somewhat confused. They don’t know whether to rent or buy. They are concerned with property values falling farther.

Its a legitimate concern, recent statistics showed home prices falling month over month still! Even after all this government stimulus (or inflation really)!

This is why I advocate for cash flow… In reality, the best possible use of capital is buying cash flow. And, in the Arizona investment property market, buying cash flow has never been cheaper! When you buy cash flow you can worry less about market fluctuations and focus more on getting a quality tenant who will work with you to create a good living situation for himself and pay your rent on time.

Our property managers are telling us that good quality single family home rentals are currently in demand and highly sought after. It seems as though many are either choosing to rent out of fear or walking away from homes that they can no longer afford or have been foreclosed on.

If ever there was a time to consider Arizona investment property… its now!

Enter your name and email on this page and get your free copy of our book today! It can help you get some wonderful tips on why cash flow is your best friend in this market. Go now… Get it!

As more and more would-be home buyers choose not to purchase homes, they are going to need a place to live.  It is either move in with mom and dad or find a place to rent.  According to The Census Bureau’s Fourth Quarter 2010 survey of Residential Vacancies and Homeownership, the homeownership rate dropped to 66.5% (the lowest level since 1998).  The West Region having the lowest level among regions with 61.0%.  That same survey shows that the rental vacancy rates have dropped to 9.4% (lowest level since 2003).  These trends indicate an increase in the demand for rentals, which provide opportunities for Arizona investment property.  A recent article, “Homeownership Rate Hits 10 Year Low.  Watch Out for Rent Inflation”, published on the Mortgage News Daily website talks about how this data may mean the inflation of rental rates.

Plain and Simple: The homeownership rate fell to 66.5% in the fourth quarter of 2010. This is a 10 year low. In a reallocation of sorts, the rental vacancy rate declined as housing consumers are choosing to rent instead of own. This is arising for one of two reason, the pool of qualified borrowers has shrunk considerably as lending standards have tightend…or people are choosing to wait it out a bit longer to see if home prices to indeed double dip. This makes sense as excess inventories are seen hampering the home price recovery process, especially in the hardest hit regions. The homeowner vacancy rate, which measures the number of unoccupied homes on the market (available for sale) was basically unchanged at 2.7% in Q4 2010. This likely reflects a reduction in home evictions thanks to the foreclosure moratoriums that were enacted as a result of the robosigning scandal. However we could also look at the number of homes being held of the market as another gauge of shadow inventory. That metric has risen from 6.77 million in Q4 2009 to 7.23 million in Q4 2010.

Rental units are clearly in demand. Watch out for rent inflation!

How are you going to position yourself to take advantage of this opportunity?  Learn more about how Clear Vision Investment Group can assist in setting your sail in front of this trend by purchasing Arizona investment property.

Save, Save, Save….That is something most of us have heard all throughout our lives.  Does that old saying hold true in today’s economy?  Let’s take a look at why investors should hedge against the devaluing US Dollar and purchase real, physical assets, such as Arizona investment property.

As explained in the video below, Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author of ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ and successful businessman, talks about what is happening to the value of the US Dollar.  It is easy to see how the dollar has been losing value over the past few decades.  Look at the price of oil.  In 1997, you could buy a barrel of oil for $10.  Fast forward 10 years later, it would cost $135 for a barrel.  Over the past few years, the US Dollar has lost nearly 80% of its purchasing power.  With the Fed printing money at a record pace, it is only fueling this devaluation.  How are you positioned?  Are you holding large amounts of cash or are you holding physical assets?

Learn about how Clear Vision Investment Group can assist in hedging against the devaluing US Dollar by purchasing Arizona investment property.

You don’t have to go very far to read about the great opportunities with Arizona investment property.  The significant correction to property values over the past few years has paved the way to amazing deals on real estate.  Also, don’t think that you are the only one out there looking for the best deals on real estate.  There are many others…. In a recent article (January 15, 2011) by Marty Hope of the Calgary Herald, there is evidence that many others are attracted to the Arizona real estate market.

By far the most popular with Calgarians looking for investment and retirement opportunities, the Phoenix market is still struggling some five years or so after peaking, says Tom Burk, president of CanAm Properties.

“The market there is slow at about 60 per cent of peak values, but there are also signs it might be stabilizing,” he says.

There are many diverse markets in Arizona. Depending on one’s sensitivity to ground travel times, population density and type of community, Arizona offers plenty that is of interest to Canadians, he says.

As we move forward into 2011, we are going to see more confidence from Arizona investment property buyers.  This will make buying property more competitive.  Although there are many opportunities, the great deals will go to the investor ready to pull the trigger.

Get educated and be ready to act when that great deal presents itself.  Learn how Clear Vision Investment Group can help you make an educated decision to purchase Arizona investment property.

With a high level of economic uncertainty, a record number of homeowners going through foreclosure, and tight credit standards, there has been a shift from the home buying mentality to one that favors renting.  Rental prices have jumped over 11% across the US (national average of $1,181 in January 2010 to $1,319 in December 2010).  At the same time, prices of homes have fallen just under 10% throughout that same time period.  Arizona had a 2% increase in rental prices during 2010 and a 18% decrease in the median home price.  These trends present many opportunities available for those looking for cash flow Arizona investment property.

Graphs provided by Hotpads.com

You can take advantage of these trends by educating yourself on the different ways to get involved with purchasing  Arizona investment property.  Learn about some of the ways you can get involved with Clear Vision Investment Group.

The most common confusion in the world of investing is that of price and value. Almost every time I speak with an investor the first question is, “do you think will prices fall further?” and I admit that price matters.

However, an investor in more concerned with value… There is a difference between price and value and how they each impact an investment. Since this website is all about Arizona investment properties, lets talk about the property asset class.

I ask you, what is your house worth? Really, what is your house worth in terms of dollars? 100k, 400k, 800k, or 1mm… I say you’re wrong whatever number you picked! The dollar price of your home or any property for that matter can never be exact.

The real answer to the question is this: Your home is only worth what someone else is willing to pay. Its just that simple. In a down market, other people won’t pay you as much so that house that appraised for 1mm is now really only worth 600k perhaps to someone with cash and ready to buy.

So where does the value in a home lie? For an investor, the value lies in the equity or cash flow that property can provide. That’s it.

All markets fluctuate… the investor knows to watch prices for opportunities to sell or pull money out of a property, and then continues to watch prices for opportunities to buy cash flow.

For example, lets say you’re a smart person and you understand that markets will fluctuate. You see prices rise from 01 – 07 and in some cases double and you realize, hey… this is not sustainable!

If your house was paid for or you had a lot of equity built up you can do some really creative things with the equity or value of your home because of the high price. Just to keep it simple, lets say your home was paid for… so in 07 you borrow out 50% of your equity because you know that home prices are inflated and when they collapse your equity will too.

If that house was worth 400k, you would now have 200k to play with… So you wait, you put the money in a high yield account and earn interest while you wait for the market to correct. You also use the borrowed money to make the payments on the loan while it sits idle.

Then sure enough, the real estate market crashes! And your equity crashes right along with it. If you are worried about your home’s price thinking that is wealth, you are screwed! you just lost 50% of that. But, so did everyone else.

Because you had the foresight to pull out that liquidity when prices were high, you now have a golden opportunity. With that 200k, you now scoop up three condos at 50k each, which you can rent for 700 per month, you keep the remaining cash in the high yield account and save it for repairs.

Your 200k loan costs you about 1300 dollars per month, and your condos generate an average of 2100 per month before expenses. So you net about 800 per month in profit on the deal!

Now I ask you… Does it matter that your primary residence lost 50% of it’s equity?

You now own 4 properties, 3 of which produce cash flow which pays your mortgage and provides a strong profit. So again, how much do you care about price now? would you rather have your equity subject to market conditions or would you rather put it to work for you and multiply your real wealth which can be measured by the cash flow you create.

You see cash flow investments work for you and they pay you. Your equity locked up in a home is at risk.

But, I always though I should own my home outright you cry… and I say you still do. Because if you wanted to, you now have other assets that you could sell to pay off your mortgage. Its just that now, those assets created by your equity are not subject to or limited by the price of you home.

Arizona investment property can help provide you that cash flow.

Were you as effective and successful in 2010, as you wanted to be?  Did you meet all of the resolutions you set last year?  If not, don’t worry!  The good thing about the new year is that you can start with a clean slate.  The question now becomes…what you are you going to do differently in 2011?  A recent article by Jean Folger, co-author of the award winning book Make Money Trading: How to Build a Winning Trading Business and writer of many articles published in several top investment publications, recently wrote an article “10 Habits Of Highly Effective Real Estate Investors.”  These habits can be implemented in buying Arizona investment property and will assist in creating a profitable real estate portfolio.

1. Treat Investments as Businesses
2. Know the Markets
3. Maintain High Ethical Standards
4. Develop Focus or Niche
5. Strive to be Good Customer Service Representatives
6. Stay Educated
7. Understand the Risks
8. Invest in a Reputable Accountant
9. Find Help
10. Build a Network

Learn how Clear Vision Investment Group can be a valuable resource for investors looking to become effective when creating a portfolio of Arizona investment property.

It is sometimes difficult to see opportunities in the current real estate market, especially with all of the negative headlines out there.  Successful investors see opportunity no matter how bad the market is.  Actually, the vast majority of successful investors have created a large portion of their wealth in times like we are experiencing right now.  Below is a video that I wanted to pass along.  Jim Rohn, a world-renown entrepreneur, author, and speaker, discusses how we are in a time of unprecedented opportunity.

Seize the opportunities that are in front of you, but make sure you are ready for the competition.  More and more investors are turning to Arizona investment property.  Learn how Clear Vision Investment Group can provide you with all of the resources you need and give you that competitive advantage when buying Arizona investment property.