land loans, commercial mortgage,

Union Home Loan, Inc. Lender details Union Home Loan, Inc. Lender details Banks Directory Lenders Directory Articles About Credit Cards Credit Basics and FAQs Credit Card Tips Glossary NCUA Credit Union Directory • 2005 Credit Union Directory • 2004 Credit Union Directory Household Finance • Consumer Credit Report Calculators • Loan Calculator • Extra Repayments Calculator • Lump Sum Payment Calculator • Rent Vs. Buy Calculator • Simple Loan Calculator Rules & Acts • Consumer Leasing Act • Credit Repair Organizations Act • Electronic Fund Transfer Act • Equal Credit Opportunity Act • Identity Theft Act Home » Lenders Directory » Union Home Loan, Inc. Lenders Directory Browse by Alphabets A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Union Home Loan, Inc. offers home loans, commercial real estate loans, and asset-based loans using mortgage notes or trust deeds as collateral. Home Loans Overview: Union Home Loan, Inc. offers home loans and home equity loans, for purchase, refinance, debt consolidation, and home improvement. Property Uses: Primary Home, Secondary / Vacation Home, Investment Property Property Types: Single Family Home, Condominium / Town Home, Multifamily 2-4 Units, Rural property / Lot loan Loan Types: Fixed, No Income Documentation Loan Purpose: Purchase, Refinance, Home Equity / 2nd Trust Deed Credit Req: A - Excellent, B - Good, C - Minor Problems, D - Bad Min Loan: 250,000 Max Loan: 1,000,000 Commercial Loans Overview: Union Home Loan, Inc. offers commercial real estate loans to investors and owner-users for most commercial properties. Property Uses: Investment, Owner - User / Occupied 51% or more Property Types: Agricultural / Farm, Amusement Park, Apartment / Multifamily, Auto Dealership, Bowling Center, Business Condo, Car Wash, Casino, Child Care Center, Church / Temple, Convenience Store, Condominiums / PUD, Factory Outlet Center, Fitness Center, Funeral Home, Gas Station / CStore, Golf Course, Healthcare / Senior Housing, Hospital / Rehabilitation, Hotel / Motel, Industrial, Land, Marina, Office, Mixeduse, Mobile Home Park, Movie Theater, Parking Garage, Regional Mall, Resort, Restaurant, Retail (Anchored), Retail (Unanchored), School / College, Self Storage, Single Tenant, Special Purpose, Warehouse Loan Types: Mezzanine / 2nd Trust Deed, NonRecourse, Private / Hard money Loan Purpose: Purchase, Refinance, Bridge / Short Term Credit Req: A - Excellent, B - Good, C - Minor Problems, D - Bad Min Loan: 1,000,000 Max Loan: 5,000,000 Miscellaneous Loans Overview: Union Home Loan, Inc. offers asset-based collateral loans against mortgage notes and trust deeds for personal or business use. Collateral Offered: Mortgage Notes / Trust Deeds Credit Req: All Min Loan: 10,000 Max Loan: 500,000 Contact Information North America, United States, California Steve Goldfield President 23586 Calabasas Road Calabasas, CA 91302 USA (818) 223-0000 www.unionhomeloan.com Email: steve@unionhomeloan.com Available Loans: Home Loans, Commercial Loans, Miscellaneous Loans North America, United States, California Residential Loans Customer Service 1-800-400-0011 www.unionhomeloan.com Email: info@unionhomeloan.com Available Loans: Home Loans, Commercial Loans, Miscellaneous Loans North America, United States, California Miscellaneous Customer Service 818-223-0000 www.unionhomeloan.com Email: info@unionhomeloan.com Available Loans: Home Loans, Commercial Loans, Miscellaneous Loans North America, United States, Nevada Available Loans: Home Loans, Commercial Loans, Miscellaneous Loans Union Home Loan, Inc. Union Home Loan, Inc. offers home loans, home equity loans, home improvement loans, refinancing, second mortgages, debt consolidation loans, bad credit loans, commercial real estate loans, and asset-based collateral loans. At Union Home Loan, Inc. we offer home loans, commercial real estate loans, and asset-based loans using mortgage notes or trust deeds as collateral. We arrange loans for commercial, land, mixed use, residential, apartment, industrial, casinos, hotels, and unusual properties. We are a direct lender as well as private money brokers. With Union Home Loan, Inc., it's easy to qualify on equity and a hard money loan for commercial, industrial, homes, land, and unusual properties. We do hard money loans, real estate financing, hard money commercial loans, land loans, commercial mortgage, hard money land loans, trust deed investments, private money, raw land loan, apartment loan, private investor, easy money, casino, mixed use loans, equity loan, union home loan, California mortgages, unusual properties, easy qualify, industrial, direct lender, bridge, swing loans, mortgage broker, foreclosure, and mixed use lenders. For hard money loans for commercial, industrial, homes, land, and unusual properties-bad credit is okay. With Union Home, you can be sure that you'll get your money fast, we also lend in Nevada. Copyroght 2005 - All Rights Reserved Home | Calculators | Articles | Lender Directory

Home Equity Conversion (HEC).

Home Equity Conversions: Reverse Mortgages Home Equity Conversions: Reverse Mortgages Authors: Celia Ray Hayhoe, Ph.D, CFP®, Family Resource Management Cooperative Extension Specialist and Stacey Williamson, Graduate Assistant; Virginia Tech Publication Number 354-025, Posted April 2004 Many senior adults are finding it hard to live on their fixed retirement incomes and are looking for ways to supplement those incomes. For some, the largest asset they own is their home, but they do not want to sell their home and move. For these individuals, there is an option called Home Equity Conversion (HEC). One type of home equity conversion is a reverse mortgage. The equity or cash value of the house is used to provide income to repay the loan. All reverse mortgage options are not the same. They have different eligibility requirements, income amounts, timing of payments, interest rates, and/or initial costs. Homeowners should compare the different options, keeping in mind their goals and needs. Advantages The value of your house, not your income, is used to determine eligibility. You can receive a lump sum, a line of credit, or a monthly amount, without having to make a monthly repayment. You do not have to sell your home and move, and can continue to live in the same familiar surroundings. You do not have to worry about losing your home to foreclosure since the payments are made out of your equity in the home, not from your income. The loan must be repaid when the house is no longer used as your personal residence. However, the lender can only look to the proceeds from the sale of the house for repayment. They cannot go to your heirs if the house sells for less than what was borrowed. Money can be used for any purpose. You must attend a free HECM/HUD approved counseling session to see if this type of mortgage is right for you. Disadvantages Interest for a reverse mortgage is compounded, and cannot be deducted on income taxes until you repay it. The income you receive decreases the equity in your home, and the equity may not be adequate for your future needs or for your estate. Interest rates and initial costs (application fees, points and closing costs) are usually higher for a reverse mortgage than for other equity loans. Income ends when you sell your home or no longer use it as a principal residence. Payments may affect Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid payments. You must attend a free HECM/HUD approved counseling session. This may add time to the process of obtaining a loan. You may need to pay off your existing mortgage out of the proceeds of your reverse mortgage. You will be required to maintain the house, pay the taxes, and carry property insurance. Eligibility You could be eligible if you own your own home, use the home as your principal residence, and are at least 62 years of age. You must also have adequate equity in the home. A lender looks at the equity in the home plus any expected appreciation or depreciation in the value of the home to calculate a base amount. The costs associated with any reverse mortgage loan (application fees, interest rates, closing costs, initial charges, sales commissions, and homeowner's insurance) also must be considered. All reverse mortgages currently available in Virginia require homeowner's insurance. The lender and the homeowner must work together to determine the type of payment, the payment amount, and the time period. This is determined not only by the calculations of the base amount by the lender, but also by keeping your goals and financial needs in mind. Income Income from a reverse mortgage is not taxable, and will not affect Medicare eligibility or benefits. But the added income can affect both Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid eligibility and benefits for Virginia residents. Confused? A home equity conversion is not a home equity loan! Home-equity loans require that a homeowner has enough income to pay back the loan, and the payments are made in monthly amounts. A home-equity loan would not work for the majority of senior adults who are living on limited fixed incomes and who could not afford a loan payment. Example A wide variety of loan options are available depending upon your age, the amount of equity available, the time period of the loan, and the way payments are disbursed. For example, Mary Jones, a 75-year-old widow whose home is her principal residence, is looking at a ten-year reverse mortgage that will provide her with additional monthly income of approximately $450. At the end of the ten years the monthly income payment will stop. But because her loan is through an insured lender (loans offered by HUD approved lenders have government guarantees), the loan will not have to be repaid until she sells the home, moves, or dies. Home Equity Conversion Checklist These questions can to help you determine if you are eligible for a home equity conversion (HEC). YES NO 1. Are you 62 years of age or older? _____ _____ 2. Is your mortgage paid off in full or nearly so? _____ _____ 3. Do you use your home as your primary residence? _____ _____ If you have answered yes to questions 1 through 3, you might want to consult with an HEC lender for specific information. The following questions will help to determine if you are eligible for a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) home equity conversion. A HUD-HEC is similar to other HECs but with additional requirements for the property and residents. 4. Is your home a single-family dwelling? _____ _____ 5. Will your home probably meet HUD minimum property standards? _____ _____ 6. Is your family income less than 80% of area median? _____ _____ If you have answered yes to questions 1 through 6; you might want to consult with a HUD-HEC lender for specific information. The following is a list of HEC/Reverse mortgage programs. FHA - HECM (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage) Guaranteed by FHA/HUD Flexible Income Payment Option Growing Line of Credit Maximum Lending Limit - $ 280,749 Cash Account Flexible Income Payment Options Growing Line of Credit Higher Equity Release Options No Maximum Lending Limit HomeKeeper by Fannie Mae Guaranteed by Fannie Mae Line of Credit Options Maximum Lending Limit - $ 322,700 Zero Point Cash Account Closing Costs Limited Minimum Draw at Closing Required Interest Rate Cap No Maximum Lending Limit The following lenders offered HEC/Reverse mortgages as of March 2004: Mortgage Capital Investors Equity Division 6571 Edsall Road Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 941-0711 East West Mortgage - HECM, HK, CA 4321 Northview Drive Bowie, MD 20716 (866) 9REVERSE [(866) 973-8377] (301) 809-1568, ext. 225 Financial Freedom Senior Funding Corp. (Subsidiary of Lehman Brothers, FSB) - HECM, HK, CA (800) 368-3254 Reverse Mortgages of the Mid-Atlantic - HECM, HK, CA (800) 745-0102 Suntrust 564 Lynnhaven Parkway Virginia Beach, VA 23452 (757) 431-4876 Fidelity & Trust Mortgage, Inc. - HECM, HK, CA 7229 Hanover Parkway Suite C Greenbelt MD 20770 (703) 273-3797 (800) 458-4624 People's Choice Mortgage - HECM, HK, CA (757) 564-8596 Wells Fargo Home Mortgage - HECM, HK (888) 292-1180 Inclusion on this list of lenders does not imply endorsement by Virginia Cooperative Extension, nor does omission from this list imply a lack of endorsement. Home Equity Conversion Comparison Worksheet Name of Lender Features Payment Option: ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- Lump Sum Option Line of Credit Option Monthly Benefit Option APR (Annual Percentage Rate) Time Period Application Costs Closing Costs Sales Commissions Insurance Costs Other Initial Charges For More Information AARP Home Equity Information Center 601 E. Street NW Washington D.C. 20004 (202) 638-2863 http://www.aarp.org/revmort/ Reverse Mortgage Money (866) 363-1914 requestinfo@reversemortgagemoney.com American Credit Counselors Tudor Square, Ste. 10 211 Roanoke St. Christiansburg, VA 24073 (800) 926-0042 virginia@cccsswva.org http://www.americancredit.org HECM Counseling National Center for Home Equity Conversion 360 Robert Street North Suite 403 St. Paul, MN 55101 (651) 222-6775 People Incorporated 1173 W Main St Abingdon, VA 24210-2428 (540) 623-9000 HECM Counseling Original authors: Patricia Gorman, graduate assistant, and Kathleen Parrott, former Extension housing specialist, Virginia View this document in PDF format Visit Virginia Cooperative Extension

Buy House Plans Having

How to Buy House Plans - eHow.com Clear Instructions on How To Do (just about) Everything Web eHow.com Home Finance & Business Center Real Estate How to Buy House Plans Having trouble finding an existing house that you want to buy? Consider buying plans and building your own home. That set of blueprints, with or without minor modifications, may well be the first step you take to create your dream home. Steps: 1. Determine the size of the house you can afford to build. The National Association of Home Builders (nahb.org) has information on the average cost per square foot for new homes in any area. Multiply the square footage of the home you want by the average cost per square foot to determine a ballpark cost. 2. Draw up a detailed, prioritized list of what you want your home to include in terms of number of bedrooms and baths, and garage size. What are must-haves and what can you live without? Include outdoor features such as porches, decks and a pool. 3. Ask yourself how you want to use the house now and in the future. Do you like to entertain? Do you want a casual great room or formal dining and living rooms? Will your home eventually need to accommodate aging parents, returning adult children or grandchildren? Do you need a separate entrance for an au pair? 4. Consider your lot requirements, such as sloping, corner or zero-lot line (where one side of the house sits on one lot line). Foundation options (basement, crawlspace or slab) will be dependent on what the lot will allow, based on the grade and other factors. If you've found plans for your ideal home, buy them and then look for a lot on which that particular layout will work. Otherwise, if you find the perfect lot (see How to Buy a Lot ), you'll need to be pickier as you choose your home plans in order to be sure that they'll fit on your land. 5. Browse house plan catalogs and magazines found at home improvement stores or bookstores. Many architects offer plans for sale online. Some sites let you specify exactly what features you want, such as a certain size kitchen or number of bedrooms. 6. Evaluate the plan for overall size, traffic patterns, appealing exterior materials, efficient use of space and materials, and well-planned work and storage areas. Ask a contractor to review the blueprints as well. 7. Expect to spend anywhere from $400 to $1,300 for plans depending on the project size and level of complexity. Buy up to eight nonreproducible sets--enough to distribute to tradespeople, contractors and lenders, or one reproducible master set. 8. Hire an architect to review your plans. He or she can make any modifications you think are necessary. See How to Hire an Architect . Overall Tips: Chances are good that plans will need to be adapted to meet your family's specific needs, so don't be afraid to make modifications with the help of an architect. Seismic and local building requirements will also likely mandate changes. What to look for: Plans that suit your needs Architect to modify plans Lot requirements Please Share Your Tips with Us More Resources: Contribute to eHow: Write an eHow Article Suggest a Topic Give Us Feedback on This Article Related eHows: Hire a Builder Have Your Home Custom Built Buy a Lot Hire an Architect Pull Building Permits Project Details: Skill Advisory: Moderate New! -- Related eHows: Hire a Builder Have Your Home Custom Built Buy a Lot Hire an Architect Pull Building Permits Check out Thousands of How-To Solutions in eHow's Centers Automotive Careers & Education Computers & Home Electronics Family & Relationships Finance & Business Food & Entertaining Health Hobbies & Games Holidays & Traditions Home & Garden Personal Care & Style Pets Sports & Fitness Travel How to: --? Web eHow.com Home | Site Map | About Us | How To Books | Link to eHow Subscribe to the eHow of the Day Mailing List : Have the eHow of the Day appear on your My Yahoo! Page: Add the eHow of the Day to your RSS reader: © 1999-2005 eHow, Inc. How things get done. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the eHow Terms of Use and Privacy .

Land For Sale In

LandAndFarm.com - Land for sale, Farms for sale, Rural Property for sale Advertise here Search Properties Wanted Auctions Newsletter Quick Start Register About My Properties Number of visitors online now: 217 Thursday, December 29, 2005 Ad Prices Help Contact Login Subscribe to Rural Property Bulletin Last Few Listings Most Viewed Least Viewed Recently Updated Search by USA Map Rural Property Sites Tool Box Get new properties in your email box! Newsletter Sign-up: yourname@xyz.com HTML TEXT For fun: old listings Contact Us Community Stats Seller emails: 102,892 Property emails: 110,227 Property Views: 13,028,620 Newsletter Subscribers: 14,850 Site Statistics Property 1761 Brokerage 15 Finance & Mortgages 3 Wanted 1 Businesses For Sale 7 Livestock 1 Rural Living 16 Miscellaneous 3 By Land Use: commercial land : 117 dairy farm : 22 fish - aquaculture : 15 forest - natural : 283 forest - planted : 116 historic : 41 horse farm : 380 hospitality : 61 hunting property : 610 livestock operation : 129 mobile home park : 4 oil or minerals : 7 orchard : 17 organic uses : 20 pasture : 319 permanent crops : 43 poultry farm : 33 recreational property : 677 residential land : 844 row crops : 107 undeveloped land : 377 vegetable farm : 15 vineyard : 15 waterfront : 152 By Country: United States : 1709 Canada : 39 South Africa : 34 Zambia : 5 Botswana : 5 Chile : 4 Argentina : 2 Belize : 2 Brazil : 2 Mozambique : 2 Australia : 1 Namibia : 1 Kenya : 1 By Price Per Acre: <$100: 8 $100 to $500 : 34 $500 to $2,000 : 280 $2,000 to $5,000 : 402 >$5,000 : 734 By Acres: <50 : 991 <200 : 1460 200 to 500 : 182 500 to 1,000 : 78 >1,000 : 108 By State/Province: Alabama : 24 Arizona : 11 Arkansas : 14 California : 20 Colorado : 29 Connecticut : 4 Florida : 88 Georgia : 283 Idaho : 12 Illinois : 29 Indiana : 7 Iowa : 9 Kansas : 17 Kentucky : 58 Louisiana : 13 Maine : 32 Maryland : 6 Massachusetts : 7 Michigan : 7 Minnesota : 16 Mississippi : 14 Missouri : 76 Montana : 6 Nebraska : 4 Nevada : 6 New Hampshire : 5 New Jersey : 16 New Mexico : 7 New York : 75 North Carolina : 59 North Dakota : 38 Ohio : 61 Oklahoma : 9 Oregon : 6 Pennsylvania : 6 South Carolina : 64 South Dakota : 22 Tennessee : 293 Texas : 27 Utah : 11 Vermont : 11 Virginia : 123 Washington : 11 West Virginia : 49 Wisconsin : 18 Wyoming : 6 Alberta : 1 British Columbia : 3 Buenos Aires Capital Federal : 1 IV Coquimbo : 1 Manitoba : 1 Mendoza : 1 New Brunswick : 11 Nova Scotia : 12 Ontario : 3 Para : 1 Quebec : 3 Queensland : 1 Saskatchewan : 5 VII Maule : 1 XI Aysen : 2 Not In USA or Canada : 1 Properties by: Land Use Country State/Province Acres Price Per Acre Florida RESULTS Sort by: price size Total records: 88 Showing records: 1 to 20 Go to page : 1 2 3 4 5 New Search Secluded Home On 5 Acres ( residential land, horse farm, pasture) A 5.00 acre property with an asking price of $489,000. This property is for sale. Country: Other. State/Province: Florida. County: Hillsborough. Awesome Acreage in NE Florida ( forest - planted, undeveloped land, hunting property) A 21.40 acre property with an asking price of $295,000. This property is for sale. Country: United States. State/Province: Florida. County: Nassau. Walker Springs Auction ( hunting property, forest - natural, undeveloped land) A 1,257 acre property. This property is to be AUCTIONED . Country: United States. State/Province: Florida. County: Jefferson. 87 Acres With Hunting Lodge ( hunting property, recreational property, residential land) A 87 acre property with an asking price of $699,900. This property is for sale. Country: Other. State/Province: Florida. County: Wakulla. 12 Acres Fenced ( horse farm, residential land, pasture) A 12.00 acre property with an asking price of $599,550. This property is for sale. Country: Other. State/Province: Florida. County: Lake. Land For Sale In North Florida ( residential land, forest - natural, recreational property) A 5.00 acre property with an asking price of $74,900. This property is for sale. Country: Other. State/Province: Florida. County: Columbia. 40 Acre South Florida Ranch ( residential land, livestock operation, pasture) A 40 acre property with an asking price of $1,950,000. This property is for sale. Country: United States. State/Province: Florida. County: Okeechobee. Mims - Florida 40 Acres+additional acres ( residential land, pasture, horse farm) A 40 acre property with an asking price of $1,600,000. This property is for sale. Country: United States. State/Province: Florida. County: Brevard. Serenity Arabian Farms ( residential land, waterfront, horse farm) A 47 acre property with an asking price of $1,700,000. This property is for sale. Country: United States. State/Province: Florida. County: Putnam. 5.0 Rdfront Pasture Trees ( pasture, residential land) A 5.00 acre property with an asking price of $65,000. This property is for sale. Country: Other. State/Province: Florida. County: Hamilton. Jupiter Farms Jewel ( horse farm) A 1.25 acre property with an asking price of $349,000. This property is for sale. Country: Other. State/Province: Florida. County: Palm Beach. Cedarpond Farm ( horse farm, residential land, forest - natural) A 35 acre property with an asking price of $750,000. This property is for sale. Country: Other. State/Province: Florida. County: Putnam. Willows ( residential land) A 7.50 acre property with an asking price of $1,350,000. This property is for sale. Country: Other. State/Province: Florida. County: Brevard. Grant Property ( residential land, horse farm, pasture) A 24.25 acre property with an asking price of $1,100,000. This property is for sale. Country: Other. State/Province: Florida. County: Brevard. 160 Acre Farm Walnut Hill Fl ( pasture, forest - planted, forest - natural) A 160 acre property with an asking price of $999,900. This property is for sale. Country: United States. State/Province: Florida. County: Escambia. Saddle Club Estates ( horse farm, pasture, residential land) A 22.00 acre property with an asking price of $839,000. This property is for sale. Country: United States. State/Province: Florida. County: Volusia. Tampa Bay Area 20-40 Acres ( horse farm) A 40 acre property with an asking price of $1,700,000. This property is for sale. Country: United States. State/Province: Florida. County: Pasco. Country Living So Close To Jax ( residential land, undeveloped land, mobile home park) A 16.00 acre property with an asking price of $185,000. This property is for sale. Country: United States. State/Province: Florida. County: Charlton. 4.69 Acres With 5 Stalls ( horse farm, residential land, pasture) A 4.69 acre property with an asking price of $669,900. This property is for sale. Country: United States. State/Province: Florida 64 Unrestricted Acres ( forest - natural, residential land, undeveloped land) A 67 acre property with an asking price of $275,000. This property is for sale. Country: United States. State/Province: Florida. County: Holmes. Total records: 88 Showing records: 1 to 20 Go to page : 1 2 3 4 5 LandAndFarm.com SPONSORED RESULTS 1. Hollywood Beach Marriott Located on the beach and boardwalk of the world famous Hollywood Beach, Florida, the brand new Hollywood Beach Marriott with 229 oceanview rooms is your perfect destination. http://www.hollywoodbeachmarriott.com 2. Looking For FLORIDA? Find Florida and more at Lycos Search. No clutter, just answers. Lycos ? Go Get It! http://www.lycos.com 3. Find FLORIDA at eBay Looking for Florida? eBay has great deals on new and used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods and more. If you can?t find it on eBay, it probably doesn?t exist. http://www.ebay.com 4. Shop for FLORIDA Looking for Florida? MonsterMarketplace shopping directory has Florida and everything else you?re looking for at one secure online location. Click to view top selling Florida. http://www.monstermarketplace.com 5. Research FLORIDA at HighBeam. View free full-text articles and free premium archive previews at HighBeam Research. Find, organize and share information from 1,000s of trusted business, consumer and reference publications. http://www.highbeam.com ©1998-2005 - LandAndFarm.com - Contact Us - Privacy Notice - Disclaimer - UserAgreement - Advertise With Us

buy property with the

Advice for buying and reselling for a profit. - Oct. 14, 2004 Web CNN/Money Buying & Selling Investment Property Home Improvement Million $ Life Financing Best Places The art of the flip A new reality television show will follow real estate speculators as they buy, fix and "flip." October 14, 2004: 2:24 PM EDT By Sarah Max, CNN/Money senior writer SALEM, Ore. (CNN/Money) It's one thing to buy a house to call home. It's quite another to buy property with the sole purpose of turning around and reselling for a profit. It's called flipping, and in the coming months, a dozen aspiring real estate investors experience this firsthand -- on camera, no less -- as they attempt to buy, remodel and sell property within a period of six months. Flipping is the subject of an upcoming reality television series with the working title "Property Ladder," scheduled to appear on The Learning Channel in May 2005. "Everyone you talk to seems to know someone who has tried to flip property," said Char Serwa, the show's executive producer. In California, where most of show's subjects are buying, 2.6 percent of all houses sold during the month of May were owned for less than six months, according to DataQuick Information Systems, up from 1.9 percent the previous year. There are several varieties of flipping, said William Bronchick, author of "Flipping Properties." One is rehabbing, which is the focus of the show. Other flippers buy property that's in foreclosure or under construction and try to resell the property to other investors. "We're not advocating that people do this," added Serwa, explaining that each homeowner's story will be told in an individual episode, detailing the experience from purchase to sale. "This is truly an observational documentary," she said. "It's real life." Indeed, the homeowners featured on the show are not only footing the bill for the property and the cost of renovations, they're managing the projects on their own. Unlike other TLC makeover shows, seasoned carpenters and designers won't be pitching in to help. QUICK VOTE Have you ever bought real estate solely as an investment, and not to have a place to live? Yes No View results What the show's subjects do get is advice from host Kirsten Kemp, an actress, real estate agent and seasoned property investor. Whether the homeowners actually take that advice is another story. Viewers, meanwhile, may likely learn a few lessons as well, namely that buying, remodeling and selling property is hard work particularly when done in a matter of months. "A lot of things can go wrong," said Kemp. It's also financially risky. A slowdown in real estate means little to a homeowner settled in for several years, but it can be devastating if you're banking on selling for a quick profit. Buy it, fix it and sell it. Kristen Kemp, host of TLC's 'Property Ladder,' shares tips on flipping properties. Play video (Real or Windows Media) Factor in the transaction and renovation costs and there may be little profit at all. Any profit you do make, mind you, will be taxed at ordinary income if you sell in less than a year, noted Ron Phipps, of Phipps Realty in Warwick, RI. In seven years, Kemp flipped 40 properties, not always successfully. "I made money about 70 percent of the time, and 30 percent of the time I broke even or lost money." Here's a sneak preview of some of the lessons Kemp hopes to bring home. Leave your emotions at the front door When shopping for investment property, you want to find a house that tugs at you emotionally, said Kemp. If a house rouses your emotions, chances are it will do the same for future buyers will as well. When it's time to make an offer, however, your emotions cannot get the best of you. "You make money flipping in part by buying low," she said. "The people who say 'I just have to have this house' are the ones who overpay.'" Don't overdo it when renovating See the average cost for 15 common projects and how much they can add to the value of your home. Type of project: Bathroom Remodel - Mid-Range Bathroom Remodel - Upscale Bathroom Addition - Mid-Range Bathroom Addition - Upscale Maj. Kitch. Remod. - Mid-Range Maj. Kitch. Remod. - Upscale Master Suite - Mid-Range Master Suite - Upscale Family Room - Mid-Range Deck - Mid-Range Basement Remodel - Mid-Range Siding Replacement - Mid-Range Window Replacement - Mid-Range Window Replacement - Upscale Attic Bedroom - Mid-Range Average job cost (2003 Natl Avg): $ What will you get back? % Cost recovered % Value at sale $ Get your local results from Remodeling Online's 2003 Cost vs. Value Report "This is not the time to create your dream house," said Kemp. "You don't want to fix the property to a level that is not necessary." This is a dilemma many first-time flippers struggle with. On the one hand, they want to do a good job on the renovation. On the other hand, they don't want to put money in expensive light fixtures or elaborate built-ins if they aren't going to recoup the time or money they spent. That said, you don't want to cover up serious problems with a new coat of paint or a well-placed picture. "You want to attack anything thing that would be a red flag at closing," said Kemp. DIY when it makes sense The more work you can do yourself, the more money you'll make on the flip, said Kemp. Still, even do-it-yourselfers need help sometimes. Develop a list of reliable contractors, plumbers, electricians, drywallers and other experts to call on. Kemp, for one, says she has her own contractor to thank for getting her through many projects. While you're at it, find a good real estate agent, she said. "They can help you understand what is selling and what's not," she said. "They'll do a good job because if they do, they know you are going to list the property with them when you're ready to sell." Price the property to sell You give your blood, sweat and tears to a house, but it's no excuse to overprice it. "I encourage people not to get greedy," Kemp said. In fact, she recommends pricing property a little under market value. "Every day your house is on the market you're losing money." What if "Property Ladder" homes don't sell in time for prime time? That's just part of the story. And in real estate, sometimes that's the reality. --* 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? 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