Home For Sale

Seattle Washington Real Estate / homes for sale / mortgage / refinance / home equity ® , requesting a mortgage, apartment locating services and moving resources." Real Estate .com - Seattle real estate listings, new homes for sale, find a REALTOR ® or request a mortgage, refinance or home equity loan. Find a REALTOR ® in Seattle and Receive a Gift Card Worth Up To $1,000 or more. OR Find a Builder in Seattle with iNest and Get 1% Cash Back! You may also want to: Use Our FREE Personal Home Buying Guide Get Pre-Qualified through LendingTree Get Your Credit Report Search Homes in Seattle You may also want to: Find out what the house in Seattle isworth, it's FREE. Get a Mortgage through LendingTree Related articles: Negotiating Strategies Understanding Contractsand Contingencies Find a Home Inspector in Seattle Find a Mover in Seattle Related article: Understand a Home Appraisal FREE Utilities Setup in Seattle Receive Competitive Quotes for Homeowners' Insurance in Seattle Type: Homes, The Real Estate Book Additional Home Listings New Construction Homes Foreclosure Homes State or Province: Please Choose Alberta, AB Alaska, AK Alabama, AL Arkansas, AR Arizona, AZ British Columbia, BC California, CA Colorado, CO Connecticut, CT District of Columbia, DC Delaware, DE Florida, FL Georgia, GA Hawaii, HI Iowa, IA Idaho, ID Illinois, IL Indiana, IN Kansas, KS Kentucky, KY Louisiana, LA Massachusetts, MA Manitoba, MB Maryland, MD Maine, ME Michigan, MI Minnesota, MN Missouri, MO Mississippi, MS Montana, MT New Brunswick, NB North Carolina, NC North Dakota, ND Nebraska, NE New Hampshire, NH New Jersey, NJ New Mexico, NM Nova Scotia, NS Nevada, NV New York, NY Ohio, OH Oklahoma, OK Ontario, ON Oregon, OR Pennsylvania, PA Rhode Island, RI South Carolina, SC South Dakota, SD Tennessee, TN Texas, TX Utah, UT Virginia, VA Vermont, VT Washington, WA Wisconsin, WI West Virginia, WV Wyoming, WY City: Select a State or Zip: Price Range: Any $50,000 $75,000 $100,000 $125,000 $150,000 $175,000 $200,000 $225,000 $250,000 $275,000 $300,000 $325,000 $350,000 $375,000 $400,000 $425,000 $450,000 $475,000 $500,000 $525,000 $550,000 $575,000 $600,000 $625,000 $650,000 $675,000 $700,000 $725,000 $750,000 $775,000 $800,000 $825,000 $850,000 $875,000 $900,000 $925,000 $950,000 $975,000 $1,000,000 $5,000,000 $10,000,000 to Any $50,000 $75,000 $100,000 $125,000 $150,000 $175,000 $200,000 $225,000 $250,000 $275,000 $300,000 $325,000 $350,000 $375,000 $400,000 $425,000 $450,000 $475,000 $500,000 $525,000 $550,000 $575,000 $600,000 $625,000 $650,000 $675,000 $700,000 $725,000 $750,000 $775,000 $800,000 $825,000 $850,000 $875,000 $900,000 $925,000 $950,000 $975,000 $1,000,000 $5,000,000 $10,000,000 Bedrooms: Any 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ Baths: Any 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ Please note: Not all real estate professionals participate in the "Find a REALTOR ® " program, which you must use in order to receive The Home Depot ® incentive. Lenders use qualifying ratios to determine how much of a mortgage you can reasonably afford. Read More Loan Amount: Term in Months: Interest Rate: Monthly Payment: How much will your gift card be if you use a REALTOR ® on the Network? How much can you borrow? What will adjustable rate payments be? Which is better: 15 or 30 year term? Find a REALTOR ® in Seattle and Receive a Gift Card Worth Up To $1,000 or more. You may also want to: Use Our FREE Personal Home Selling Guide Find a Home Inspector in Seattle Featured articles by Realty Times ® : 20 Ways REALTORS ® Successfully Market Homes Let the Seller Beware? Tips for Home Sellers Find out what the house in Seattle isworth, it's FREE. Related article: Why Should You Use A Seller's Agent in Seattle? Negotiating Strategies Understanding Contractsand Contingencies Find a Mover in Seattle Related article: Understand a Home Appraisal FREE Utilities Setup in Seattle Buying a Home | Selling a Home | Homes for Sale | Credit Report & Score | House Prices at Domania New Home Construction | Find a Mover | Find a REALTOR ® | Home Financing | Real Estate Learning Center Customer Service | Publications | For the Media | News Releases | Join Our Real Estate Network | Post Home Listings Privacy | Security | Terms of Use | Jobs | Disclosures and Licenses | Sitemap | Loans | Commercial Real Estate Houses for Sale in: Atlanta | Austin | Boston | Charlotte | Chicago | Dallas | Denver | Houston | Las Vegas | Los Angeles Miami | Minneapolis | New York | Philadelphia | Phoenix | San Antonio | San Diego | San Francisco | Seattle Washington, DC | Real Estate in More Cities LendingTree technology and processes are patented under US Patent Nos. 6,385,594 and 6,611,816. © 1998 - Real Estate.com, a service of LendingTree, LLC. All Rights Reserved.This site is directed at, and made available to, persons in the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii only. Conversion to LendingTree, LLC We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. REALTOR ® -- A registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS ® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. Not all of the real estate professionals participating in the "Agent's Competing" program are REALTORS ® , which are members of the National Association of REALTORS ® . The Home Depot ® is not affiliated with LendingTree, LLC. The Home Depot ® is a registered trademark of Homer TLC, Inc. RealEstate.com is not sponsored by or affiliated with the parent franchisor companies of any of the participating members of its network. Partner Sites: Citysearch | Expedia | Hotels.com | Ticketmaster.com | Hotwire.com | Entertainment.com | Match.com Home Shopping Network | ReserveAmerica | LendingTree.com | iNest | ServiceMagic | Ask Jeeves | Gift Ideas Mortgage Calculator | Refinance at GetSmart | LendingTree Mortgage | Free Online Credit Report | Home Equity Loans

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Search for new homes and get cash back | New Home Construction -- BUY A HOME SELL A HOME HOME LOANS NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION ABOUT US MY ACCOUNT Find iNest Featured New Homes by State iNest, a subsidiary of RealEstate.com, specializes in helping buyers of newly constructed homes. Use iNest to find new homes from leading home builders and get 1% cash back following purchase ($2,000 on the purchase of a $200,000 home). Start your new home search by clicking on a state below. Area: Please Choose AZ-Phoenix AZ-Tucson CA-San Diego CA-Stockton CO-Colorado Springs CO-Denver CO-Fort Collins/Loveland DC-Washington D.C. FL-Jacksonville FL-Orlando FL-Sarasota FL-Southeast Florida FL-Southwest Florida FL-Tampa GA-Atlanta GA-Chattanooga IL-Chicago IL-Rockford IL-Southern Illinois IN-Fort Wayne IN-Indianapolis IN-South Bend MA-Boston MD-Baltimore MI-Detroit MI-Grand Rapids MI-Otsego MN-Minneapolis-St.Paul NC-Charlotte NC-Greensboro/Winston-Salem NC-Raleigh-Durham NM-Albuquerque NV-Las Vegas OH-Akron/Canton OH-Cincinnati OH-Cleveland OH-Columbus OH-Dayton OR-Portland PA-Baltimore PA-Philadelphia PA-Pittsburgh SC-Greenville-Spartanburg TN-Chattanooga TN-Jackson TN-Knoxville TN-Memphis TN-Nashville TX-Austin TX-Dallas-Fort Worth TX-Houston TX-Rio Grande Valley TX-San Antonio UT-Salt Lake City VA-Richmond WI-Madison WI-Milwaukee Price Range: Please Choose $100,000 - $150,000 $150,000 - $200,000 $200,000 - $250,000 $250,000 - $300,000 $300,000 - $400,000 $400,000 - $500,000 $500,000 - $600,000 $600,000 - $700,000 $700,000 - $800,000 $800,000 - $900,000 $900,000 - $1 Million $1 Million + Is Your State Not Listed Above? Your best option is to find a REALTOR ® through RealEstate.com and you may receive a gift card worth up to $1,000 or more.* 1. Choose a Real Estate Company 2. Consult a Relocation Director 3. Close with that REALTOR ® *There is no incentive offered for home purchases or sales less than $75,000. Rebates based on 6% commission. Terms and Conditions Please note: iNest is a wholly-owned subsidiary of LendingTree,LLC. Both iNest and LendingTree, LLC. are acting in their capacities as licensed real estate brokers. For more information on iNest's real estate licenses, please visit www.internest.com/xyz/disclosure/index.asp and for more information on LendingTree, LLC's real estate licenses, please visit www.lendingtree.com . Buying a Home | Selling a Home | Homes for Sale | Credit Report & Score | House Prices at Domania New Home Construction | Find a Mover | Find a REALTOR ® | Home Financing | Real Estate Learning Center Customer Service | Publications | For the Media | News Releases | Join Our Real Estate Network | Post Home Listings Privacy | Security | Terms of Use | Jobs | Disclosures and Licenses | Sitemap | Loans | Commercial Real Estate Houses for Sale in: Atlanta | Austin | Boston | Charlotte | Chicago | Dallas | Denver | Houston | Las Vegas | Los Angeles Miami | Minneapolis | New York | Philadelphia | Phoenix | San Antonio | San Diego | San Francisco | Seattle Washington, DC | Real Estate in More Cities LendingTree technology and processes are patented under US Patent Nos. 6,385,594 and 6,611,816. © 1998 - Real Estate.com, a service of LendingTree, LLC. All Rights Reserved.This site is directed at, and made available to, persons in the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii only. Conversion to LendingTree, LLC We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. REALTOR ® -- A registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS ® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. Not all of the real estate professionals participating in the "Agent's Competing" program are REALTORS ® , which are members of the National Association of REALTORS ® . The Home Depot ® is not affiliated with LendingTree, LLC. The Home Depot ® is a registered trademark of Homer TLC, Inc. RealEstate.com is not sponsored by or affiliated with the parent franchisor companies of any of the participating members of its network. Partner Sites: Citysearch | Expedia | Hotels.com | Ticketmaster.com | Hotwire.com | Entertainment.com | Match.com Home Shopping Network | ReserveAmerica | LendingTree.com | iNest | ServiceMagic | Ask Jeeves | Gift Ideas Mortgage Calculator | Refinance at GetSmart | LendingTree Mortgage | Free Online Credit Report | Home Equity Loans

Real Estate Prices

DQNews - DataQuick Real Estate Headlines and Statistics -- December 29, 2005 DQNews Home | DataQuick | Forums | -- Release | Custom Reports Search -- i Updated: December 27, 2005 -- -- -- Real Estate News -- . -- DQNEWS HOME -- RECENT RELEASES Monthly for SoCal Monthly for Bay Area New! -- CA Monthly City Chart ZIP CODE CHARTS Updated Monthly: LA Times Zip Chart SD Union Tribune Chart OC Register Chart SF Chronicle Chart Sacramento Bee Chart Annual Charts: CA 2004 City Chart LA Times 2004 Chart OC Register 2004 Chart SD Tribune 2004 Chart SF Chronicle 2004 Chart Sac Bee 2004 Chart Updated Weekly: SJ Mercury News Chart California SoCal Area Bay Area -- REGIONAL CHARTS Phoenix 3Q05 Honolulu 3Q05 Las Vegas 3Q05 Portland 3Q05 Seattle 3Q05 Nashville 3Q05 Miami/Palm Bch 3Q05 Jacksonville, FL 3Q05 Denver 3Q05 Chicago 3Q05 CURRENT HEADLINES Home Sale Trends Mortgage Trends -- Foreclosures Million Dollar Homes Building Activity Other Feature Articles NATIONAL NEWS -- WEB SITE EXTRAS ARCHIVED ARTICLES -- Customized News Services -- -- Custom Reports Archived Zip Code Charts Archived Articles -- Enter your email address to receive DQNews Headlines by email: -- Who We Are -- -- -- Find Out More About DQNews -- -- California November Home Sales Report A total of 51,250 new and resale houses and condos were sold statewide last month. That's down 4.6 percent from 53,700 for October and down 3.8 percent from 53,250 for November 2004. A decline from October to November is normal for the season. full story Slower Bay Area home sales, steady price increase -- Bay Area home sales continued to slow on a year-over-year basis while prices continued to climb. . . full story -- -- Southland home sales strong, prices hit new peak -- Southern California home sales remained at near-record levels last month as prices continued their climb to new heights, the result of continued demand and the expectation that mortgage interest rates will continue to increase... full story California Foreclosures Edge Up Foreclosure activity in California showed a year-over-year increase during the last quarter for the first time in more than three years, the result of lower appreciation rates and riskier loans. . . full story Million-Dollar Home Sales Rise in Golden State -- More million-dollar homes were sold in California last year than in the two previous years combined . . . full story California's home buyers increasingly choose ARMs A rising portion of California's home buyers are financing with adjustable-rate mortgages as rising prices and rate increases earlier this year make it harder to buy. . . full story -- California Home Buyer Surnames for 2002 TOP TEN Most Common Last Names of California Home Buyers Name Rank Median Price Garcia 1 $197,000 Smith 2 $250,000 Nguyen 3 $300,000 Lopez 4 $195,000 Lee 5 $325,000 Hernandez 6 $189,000 Rodriguez 7 $189,000 Martinez 8 $197,000 Gonzalez 9 $192,000 Johnson 10 $242,000 **2002** Metropolitan Area Home Sale Charts Look up the median home price in your zip code Record sales to Hispanic home buyers Hispanic home buyers accounted for a record portion of California's home purchase activity during the third quarter, the result of socio-demographic gains and available mortgage financing. . . full story Homebuyers CA YTD2001 Rank Last Names 1 Garcia 2 Smith 3 Lee 4 Martinez 5 Hernandez -- DQNews Quick Data: $280 billion was added to the value of California's housing stock in annual appreciation last year. The median homeowner is 'making' $2,384 monthly just by owning a home. -- CALIFORNIA'S TOP HOMEBUYER LAST NAMES 2000 Rank Last Name Median price paid 2000 1990 Rank 1 Garcia $145,500 (4) 2 Smith $189,000 (2) 3 Lee $262,000 (1) 4 Johnson $182,000 (3) 5 Lopez $144,500 (7) 6 Martinez $146,000 (8) 7 Hernandez $141,750 (14) 8 Rodriguez $145,000 (6) 9 Nguyen $246,000 (13) 10 Gonzalez $140,750 (10) 11 Williams $175,000 (12) 12 Brown $183,000 (9) 13 Sanchez $145,000 (18) 14 Miller $205,750 (11) 15 Jones $179,750 (15) 16 Ramirez $138,000 (22) 17 Kim $265,000 (5) 18 Perez $148,500 (20) 19 Davis $178,000 (19) 20 Anderson $197,500 (17) 21 Martin $176,000 (23) 22 Flores $146,000 (30) 23 Gomez $147,000 (31) 24 Wilson $190,500 (25) 25 Tran $252,000 (43) CC Coming Up: Coming Up: Equity lending in Florida Washington state's $million home market Crunch for entry-level buyers - or not? Fannie, Freddie and the conforming limit (yawn...) Most boring neighborhoods: the list Texas home buyer names -- Foreclosure Sales: The number of home foreclosure sales in California was a low 709 in the third quarter of 2005. Last year there were 1,007 home foreclosure sales in the same time period. Top Lender Update: Wells Fargo Bank was California`s most active home mortgage lender in the third quarter of 2005, followed by Washington Mutual and Countrywide Home Loans - (ranked by residential loan $). Least Expensive Communities: In the 3rd quarter of 2005, the three CA cities with the lowest median price (and over 50 sales) were: Taft at $120,000, Twentynine Palms at $140,000 and Barstow at $142,000. Most Expensive Communities: In the 3rd quarter of 2005, the three CA cities with the highest median price (and over 50 sales) were: Rancho Santa Fe at $2,372,500, Newport Coast at $1,914,750, and Belevedere Tiburon at $1,765,000. Million Dollar Home Sales: 30 communities in CA had a median home price of over $1 million in the 3rd quarter of 2005 (with 50+ sales). There were eighteen cities in that category in 3Q04. Refi Trend: California residential refinancing activity in the third quarter of 2005 was up 9.8% from the third quarter of 2004 and up 8.0% from the second quarter of 2005. " -- . DATAQUICK IN THE NEWS -- Sacramento Bee Homes sales fall 21 percent Orange County Register O.C. housing prices back near peak The median sales price was $616,000 last month, $1,000 shy of August's record, and more gains will come next month, according to market tracker DataQuick. Los Angeles Times Southland Housing Sustains Solid Gains San Francisco Chronicle Bay Area boom easing Home sales slow a bit but price growth is still strong San Jose Mercury News Home price spiral eases MEDIAN PRICE IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY JUMPS ONLY $750 FROM MONTH AGO AS SALES DROP 5.8% San Diego Union Tribune Home sales have seen better days Prices up, but seasonal activity down for 17th straight month San Francisco Chronicle Foreclosures in Bay Area down 13% to a 14-year low Rapid increase in prices has helped reduce rate of default Los Angeles Times Loan Default Notices Rise for First Time in 3 Years New York Times Do Try This at Home: Assess Your Area's Real Estate Bubble Forbes Real Estate Strong Despite Higher Interest Money Magazine Cuckoo for Condos! USA Today Got $75M? Here's the house for you USA Today 'New urbanism' embraces Latinos Can't Find Sunday's Newspaper? Find your zip code here! LA Times 2001 Chart LA Times Zip Chart SD Tribune Chart OC Register Chart SF Chronicle 2001 Chart SF Chronicle Chart Sac Bee 2001 Chart Sacramento Bee Chart Updated Weekly: SJ Mercury News Chart -- DQNews Forums -- enter here -- -- View the DQNews News editorial policy. -- Contact us at info@DQNews.com | DQNews Home | DataQuick Homepage

foreclosure property Top List

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Use our free online guide to choose the right Debt Consolidation program for you. Free advice and links to helpful sites. Get out of Credit Card Debt today! site: http://www.free-debt-consolidation-help.com Buy Homes from 10K; Search Now * Buy Homes from $10,000 * 20,000+ Foreclosures, HUD, VA, FMA... updated weekly! * Thousands of FSBO, Conventional, and REO listings * Realtor listings on homes for sale nationwide * site: http://c.qckjmp.com/az/ch.php?f=277&i=1414 Low Budget Housing Cheap housing alternatives - low income, HUD, foreclosures. site: http://www.LowBudgetHousing.com Stop-Sign Antivirus Software Protect your computer from viruses, spyware, spam and popups. Paid membership includes unlimited technical support! Scan Now! site: http://www.stop-sign.com Ted's Dad's Book Ted explains why you should buy his Dad's book. site: http://tedsdadsbook.com Not satisfied with your results? 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real estate investing Being

Getting real about real estate investing - Nov. 17, 2004 Web CNN/Money Buying & Selling Investment Property Home Improvement Million $ Life Financing Best Places Getting real about real estate investing Being a landlord can be profitable -- or a big headache. Take some advice from these investors. November 17, 2004: 4:03 PM EST By Jon Birger , MONEY Magazine. Additional reporting by Joan Caplin and Amy Feldman. NEW YORK (MONEY Magazine) - Successful real estate investors sometimes make what they do sound almost too easy. "Rentals freed me from ever having to get a job again," says Orlando Rodriguez, a 38-year-old San Antonio landlord who makes about $100,000 a year off the 90 apartments he owns. "I'm a high school dropout -- seventh-grade dropout, actually -- so my story should tell people this isn't rocket science." Yes, landlording isn't science (which is not to say it isn't often a lot of hard work), but if you're willing to put in the time and effort, buying and operating rental properties can pay off big. Try this math on for size: You purchase a $100,000 condominium with $30,000 down and a $70,000 mortgage. If the condo rents for $1,200 a month, your net profits -- after costs such as mortgage, maintenance and property taxes -- should be in the $2,000-a-year range. Conservatively invested, that sum should earn enough to pay off the entire mortgage within 14 years. You'd have turned $30,000 in equity into $100,000, even if rents didn't go up and property values didn't appreciate. Factor in 4 percent annual rent increases and price appreciation, and the property's net value to the owner would be closer to $200,000. A stock fund would need to return 15 percent a year for 14 years to beat that performance -- and funds don't give you any of the tax breaks that can come with being a property owner. The key thing to remember, though, is that buying rental properties is not for point-and-click investors. Even landlords who hire out the plumbing, painting and rent collection to contractors and management companies typically make a big time commitment. Rick Lionhardt of Dallas, a 55-year-old retired telecom worker, owns 33 properties with wife Helen, 49, a secretary. Even when he was working full time, Lionhardt says, he spent 70 to 80 hours a week on real estate. "I'd make calls during lunch and drive around at night looking for more things to buy." For the first-time landlord, there is plenty to learn -- about taxes, financing, dealing with difficult tenants -- and usually there are many mistakes to be made. The payoff can be terrific though, even for investors who own just one or two properties. Doing it right will get you extra income now and a valuable addition to your retirement nest egg down the road. What does "doing it right" mean? Read on for some key tips and secrets -- as well as pitfalls to avoid -- from successful investors who had to learn the hard way. Know how to take your market's temperature. When considering a rental property, your top concern should be whether you can make money renting it out now, not how much its price might appreciate in the future (although that's important too). All you're doing is speculating on real estate prices if you're shelling out more than you're taking in -- and that can be dangerous, especially if you're doing it with borrowed money. "You never want to buy a property where every month you have to feed it," says Neil Binder, co-founder of New York City's Bellmarc Realty. So before you buy, add up your projected property taxes, mortgage payments and maintenance costs, and make sure the total is less than your expected rental income. Experienced real estate investors say they generally look to pay anywhere from 45 to 85 times monthly rent for a property. That means annual rental revenue should be about 15 to 25 percent of the property's value. Finding places with those kinds of yields can be difficult. Take California, probably the most bubblicious market in the country. A condominium renting for $1,200 a month in Southern California sells for $350,000 today, according to veteran California real estate investor Bruce Norris. A $1,200-a-month condo in the Dallas/Fort Worth area can be had for $95,000. To a landlord, that's the difference between an annual return on investment of 4 percent vs. 15 percent. Mortgages and home equity loans Search for rates from hundreds of lenders. No points only Select Loan: Select a Mortgage 15 Yr Fixed Jumbo - $385K 15 Yr Fixed Conforming - $165K 30 Yr Fixed Conforming - $165K 30 Yr Fixed Jumbo - $385K 1 Yr ARM Conforming - $165K 1 Yr ARM Jumbo - $385K 3/1 Yr ARM Conforming - $165K 3/1 ARM Jumbo - $385K 5/1 Yr ARM Conforming - $165K 5/1 ARM Jumbo - $385K 7/1 Yr ARM Conforming - $165K ARM Jumbo - $385K State: Select State Alaska Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Washington DC Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Iowa Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana North Carolina North Dakota Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico Nevada New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Vermont Washington Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming "The only reason you'd be a California landlord at today's prices is because you're expecting price appreciation," says Norris, who thinks prices in the state are due for a fall. "Monthly cash flow would be almost impossible to achieve without an enormous down payment." Another tool experienced investors use to measure the profitability of a market is price-to-rent -- that is, the ratio of median home price to annual rent for three-bedroom homes. The bigger the number, the less likely you are to make money as a landlord. California has a price-to-rent ratio of 25 these days, the highest in the country. Hawaii (23) is second from the top, and Massachusetts (19) is third. Far more inviting to investors are states like Delaware, Missouri, Texas and Vermont, where the price-to-rent ratios are 11 or 12. For more information on median home prices and market rents in your area, visit realtor.org and huduser.org . Find smart ways to cut your financing costs. Borrowing to buy real estate as an investment is more expensive than borrowing to buy a home. Lenders generally think they are taking more of a risk on buildings that the owner doesn't live in. Consequently, the interest rates they charge tend to be 0.5 percentage points or more above those for traditional home mortgages. Not only that, but borrowers need excellent credit scores to qualify for the lowest rates. In addition, the minimum down payment is usually 20 or 25 percent, instead of the 10 percent for standard home mortgages. There are a couple of ways around the higher rates and steeper down payments. To qualify for a traditional mortgage, you are required by most lenders to live in the property for a minimum of one year. But there's nothing stopping you from buying a home or a condo with a traditional mortgage, living in it for a year and then renting it out afterward. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS Mortgages Personal Debt Real Estate Loan Markets or Create your own Manage alerts | What is this? If the down payment rather than the rate is the stumbling block, ask the seller whether he's willing to self-finance the mortgage. With owner financing, the buyer signs a promissory note in which he agrees to make his mortgage payments directly to the seller. In exchange for forgoing a down payment, the seller typically gets a premium rate -- 8 to 10 percent, perhaps. Why would a seller take the additional risk implicit in skipping the down payment? "It's a lot faster to sell a house owner-financed than conventionally," says San Antonio landlord Rodriguez. (There are also brokers who buy owner-financed notes from sellers who want their money up front.) Click here to learn about interest-only mortgages and some of their advantages. Learn to take advantage of the many tax breaks. For tax purposes, what you make in rent is generally taxable as regular income. Real estate taxes and mortgage interest on an investment property are fully tax deductible though. Operating expenses such as utilities, insurance, repairs and condominium common charges are also deductible. So are rental fees paid to brokers, although they must be spread out over the life of the lease. Even better, the federal tax code entitles rental-property owners to a depreciation deduction even though housing prices usually go up, not down, over time. (There are, however, numerous conditions and catches, which is why it is essential to consult a tax adviser before you invest a cent.) Anticipate problems (they will be numerous). Reliable, prompt-paying tenants do up and leave suddenly. Minor leaks have a way of becoming expensive repair jobs. That's why it's smart to line up inspectors and contractors before you buy. And why it's important to establish rainy-day funds. Two or three months' rent is usually -- but not always -- sufficient. Just ask Marla Renee, a 55-year-old semiretired hairdresser who owns six rental properties in the Detroit area. Five years ago Renee bought a run-down duplex for $28,000. She figured the house needed $10,000 worth of work, but three months later the tally was nearly three times that. "The last tenant had turned on the water on purpose and flooded the whole place," she says. "The floor, ceiling and walls were all messed up." Finally, don't skimp on fees should you decide to hire a management company to tend to your rental property. The typical fee is 5 to 10 percent of rental income. Experienced landlords say it's not worth it to be cheap: Property managers often work harder to fill vacancies and to maximize rent when they are better compensated. Put potential tenants under the microscope. Picking tenants may ultimately be the most important real estate decision you make. This is where listening to the voices of experience really pays off -- although you should be discreet about how you apply their lessons. Elderly people are better tenants than college kids, as everyone knows, but in many states, landlords acting on that type of common sense judgment would be running afoul of fair-housing laws. Michelle Bizik, 35, of Lake Ariel, Pa. owns two small apartment buildings with her husband Goran, 30. For the most part, they've had lots of success finding good tenants. They require potential renters to provide Social Security numbers, ostensibly for criminal and credit background checks (which are a good idea), but Bizik says it's more about renters proving to her that they have nothing to hide. She also checks references with employers and prior landlords. If prospects pass those tests, she and her husband always meet them in person. "I need to get a vibe off of them," she explains. These are all good ideas for screening tenants. Here are a couple more. When checking references, don't stop with the most recent landlord. Contact the second or third most recent as well. "The current landlord may just want him out of the property," says Ellis San Jose, a 39-year-old real estate investor from Los Angeles. Also, consider making an unannounced visit to the prospect's current residence. Marcia Glantz, a Coldwell Banker broker for 27 years in Yorktown, N.Y., says, "Explain that your house is important to you, and that you want to get a sense for how they live." Saying no can be tough when a vacancy is burning a hole in your wallet. Stay strong. The one time Michelle Bizik caved proved to be a big mistake. "We were both against him," she recalls, "but the apartment was empty and he was a friend of another tenant." Soon after the guy moved in, his pregnant girlfriend, five cats and two friends did too. And he was late with the rent. "All the tenants were complaining," Bizik says. "The hall smelled like cat urine. The music was so loud, tenants were calling me at 11 o'clock at night." The Biziks offered to pay him to leave. He declined, so they had to go through the aggravation and expense of having him evicted. Think about investing in REITs instead. If you want to buy into real estate but don't want to deal with all the headaches that can come with managing it, you may want to consider a real estate investment trust (REIT). These are publicly traded building-management companies that pass the bulk of their earnings on to shareholders in the form of hefty dividends. That makes them a great choice for retirees and other income-hungry investors. One catch is that REIT dividends are taxed at higher rates than regular corporate dividends. REITs offer several advantages over buying properties on your own. First, there are economies of scale: On a per-square-foot basis, REIT maintenance costs are much lower than those of most individual landlords. The management expenses of a typical REIT are only 0.5 percent of total assets under management, says Russell Platt, manager of the Dividend Capital Realty Income fund. Another plus is diversification, since REITs typically invest in many markets and sometimes different types of property -- residential, commercial and retail. And finally, there's liquidity: You can sell a REIT whenever you want, and your brokerage commission will be a drop in the bucket compared with the 6 percent charged by most real estate brokers. A conservative REIT bet would be Equity Residential Properties ( Research ), run by Chicago mogul Sam Zell. Equity Residential is the nation's largest landlord, which makes it something like an index fund for apartment buildings. Earnings have taken a hit lately owing to, among other things, the Florida hurricanes. But occupancy rates have been ticking up, and Equity Residential still offers a juicy 5.1 percent dividend yield. A more aggressive play is Archstone-Smith Trust ( Research ), an apartment building owner with a big presence in suburban Washington, D.C. and other East Coast markets. Archstone-Smith also has a dividend yield of 5.1 percent. The company has profits from condo conversions, and high occupancy rates, which put it in a good position to raise rents. And that's a very nice position for any landlord to be in. --* Disclaimer Try an issue of MONEY magazine - FREE! More on REAL ESTATE • How to buy and build on rural land • Most overvalued housing markets • When booms go bust... TODAY'S TOP STORIES • Most overvalued housing markets • Risks to the economy in 2006 • Which was the worst ad of all in 2005? CNN Money contact us | subscribe to Money magazine advertising -- | site map | glossary | RSS | press room OTHER NEWS: CNN | SI | Fortune | Business 2.0 | Time © 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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