BiggerPockets Podcast 300: How to Invest in Real Estate—The Ultimate Show for Getting Started with Josh Dorkin, Brandon Turner, and 11 Rockstar Investors

What is the best way to get started investing in real estate? The problem with this question is that there are SO many different pieces of advice. That’s why we’re excited to bring you one of the most unique episodes of the BiggerPockets Podcast we’ve ever had. In this episode, Josh Dorkin is back—and he and Brandon deliver a series of interviews with some of the past guests from the BiggerPockets Podcast, including David Greene, Kenyon Meadows, Andrew Cushman, Arianne Lemire, Darren Sager, Ryan Murdock, Tim Shiner, Anson Young, Zeona McIntyre, and Ben Leybovich.

What do community associations look like in China?

Shanghai urban skyline, China

Picture this: A place where community associations aren’t legally able to have their own bank accounts, property management companies can retain ownership of common areas and rent them out without homeowners’ consent, and developers interfere with board elections because they are opposed to the formation of community associations. While this might seem improbable, situations like these occur frequently in China.

In the U.S., the community association housing model has become commonplace. According to the latest figures from the Foundation for Community Association Research, there are roughly 344,500 common-interest communities across the country. CAI has chapters throughout the world, including Canada, the Middle East, and South Africa, and relationships with housing officials in Australia, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. But how prevalent are community associations elsewhere in the world?

They’re a recent development in China, emerging shortly after housing reforms in the 1990s. Previously, urban housing was mainly provided by danwei, or place of employment. Danwei were organized by occupation and were both a physical space where people lived and a system whereby the government could regulate residents’ decisions and actions. With economic and political reform, this system largely became obsolete, leading to significant housing changes.

In response to property rights violations by developers and property management companies, community associations began to emerge. Developers have been faulted for failing to give homeowners their deeds and using them as collateral for loans, understating the area of the home, or not providing promised amenities. Unlike in the U.S., where community associations are usually formed by developers and membership occurs upon purchase of a home, associations in China are a grassroots effort spearheaded by residents to preserve their rights.

From a cultural and political perspective, community associations are novel in the single-party authoritarian regime that is the People’s Republic of China. In a 2008 dissertation by Feng Wang, at the time a Doctorate of Philosophy candidate at the University of Southern California, local governments often looked down upon associations as “an unstable social force that interrupts the establishment of a harmonious society.”

In China, a community association needs to form a preparatory group before it can officially establish—a difficult process. Residents need a representative from their developer and management company. Without their participation, local governments easily strike down the burgeoning association. The group also must meet a voting threshold for approval, and appeal to the management company or developer for a list of residents’ names and contact information to generate participation. Causing further complications, the initial vote is determined by property percentage. This gives developers an opportunity to vote to block its formation if they still own unsold units.

Despite the difficulty in forming and managing community associations, some have achieved commendable success in the country. In 1998 (before some important reforms), residents in one housing complex in China staged a coup and successfully disbanded their HOA after discovering that their management company had falsified a neighborhood mandate giving them permission to form the group. New leadership was voted in, and an HOA with community approved leadership was formed. The group was even able to successfully negotiate lower fees with the management company.

The residential conflict commonly reported in the media in community associations across the U.S. seems trivial compared to the conflict between developers, property managers, and homeowners in China. One might even wonder at the seeming lack of internal disputes among Chinese residents. In fact, according to a survey conducted by Wang, 92 percent of homeowners rate conflict among themselves as a serious issue, but only 25 percent of community associations focus efforts on addressing these issues. It is precisely because of the focus on exterior challenges, rather than internal conflict, that many community associations in China have flourished despite an unfavorable environment.

Through transparency, inclusion, and mobilization of homeowners in China, associations have made huge gains for the rights of residents. Whether in China or the U.S., community associations cannot lose sight of their goals: to elevate residents’ standard of living and protect property values.

Read more about homeowners association in China in the following:

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BiggerPockets Podcast 299.5: 4 No (& Low) Money Down Investing Techniques with Brandon Turner and David Greene

Would you like to invest in real estate but lack the capital? In this powerful episode of The BiggerPockets Podcast, Brandon and David dive deep into the topic to cover four unique strategies for building a real estate empire using other people’s money. In addition, you’ll learn why creative finance is SO important (even for experienced investors,) why equity is far more important than a down payment, and how to combine multiple strategies into one magnificent deal!

This is an episode where you may learn more about real estate investing than you have in the last year, so don’t miss your chance for a content packed, highly valuable episode with Brandon and David sharing the tips THEY’VE USED to build real estate wealth themselves!

27 million reasons why a condo would ‘deconvert’

 Lake Michigan from the North Shore, Chicago

In a deal worth $27 million, Edgewater Beach condominium owners in Chicago plan to sell their lakefront building to Greenstone Property Group, a New York- based real estate investor that will convert its 188 units to apartments.

Almost 80 percent of unit owners accepted the offer in a vote over the summer. Under Illinois law, bulk con- dominium sales must be approved by 75 percent of unit owners. The sale is expected to close this year.

“I think owners were beginning to realize that if we don’t sell, we will be required to raise several special assessments to fund crucial deferred maintenance issues, many of which are not prepared for,” says Shawn Swift, president of the Surfside Condominiums board. “We felt it was important that all owners have the choice to decide the building’s fate collectively, rather than a board of directors’ decision to move forward with $3–$4 million in special assessments over the next two years.”

Owners will receive approximately 40–50 percent more on average for their units than if they were to sell on their own, explains Swift, and without the worry of paying hefty assessments in the future.

“We have also negotiated favorable leaseback terms for any owners who wish to stay in their units post-closing,” Swift adds. “The buyer will honor any cur- rent leases in place between an owner and their tenant. About half the building is currently being rented.”

The sale will be one of the largest condominium-to- apartment conversions—also known as deconversions—in the city’s history, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“Condominium deconversions became popular a few years ago because of the increased rental rates in Chicago,” says Patrick T. Costello, a shareholder at Keay & Costello law firm and a legislative liaison to CAI’s Illinois Chapter Legislative Action Committee.

The post 27 million reasons why a condo would ‘deconvert’ appeared first on Ungated: Community Associations Institute Blog.

BiggerPockets Podcast 299: HGTV Star Ken Corsini on Flipping, Rehabbing, & Building Homes Like a Pro!

Ever wonder about the REAL story behind the house flipping tv shows? On today’s show, we interview Ken Corsini, star of HGTV’s Flip or Flop Atlanta! Ken pulls back the curtain and shares fantastic insight and knowledge into several areas of real estate investing, from house flipping to new construction to owning a real estate brokerage!

In this episode, we cover Ken’s methods for finding deals in hot markets, how to recognize general contractor “price creep” (and what to do about it), and how to craft multiple exit strategies that will serve you in any market. Ken also shares some fantastic insight regarding his technique for staying flexible to protect himself from market downturns that you do NOT want to miss (if you value keeping money over losing it)!

Why are common-interest communities so uncommon in the U.K.?

Big Ben, London

Community association living is widely popular in many areas of the world. In the U.S., for example, there are 70 million people living in 344,500 common-interest communities, one in eight live in a condominium in Canada, and three million Australians live in strata communities. Condominiums have taken off in Europe too, especially in France and Germany. However, one country remains a laggard in this trend: The United Kingdom. Despite legislation introduced in 2004 to jump-start condominiums— or commonholds as they are referred in the U.K—less than 20 have been developed.

The commonhold system was introduced to phase out the most popular form of housing in the UK: leasehold. In a leasehold arrangement, the buyer rents a flat from the freeholder, or landlord, for a specified number of years. The freeholder is responsible for managing and maintaining the common areas of the building, such as hallways, roofs, and facades. The lease is typically long-term—often as many as 120 years—but begins to decrease in value as the lease nears its end. Many individuals have taken issue with the leasehold system. Complaints range from burdensome fees imposed by landlords to the costliness of extending a lease and the fundamental nature of a leasehold as a wasting asset.

With all the complaints surrounding leaseholds, one might wonder why there’s a lack of enthusiasm for commonholds? In theory, self-management of commonholds removes conflict with the landlord, and ownership alleviates the ticking time bomb worry of a lease. The Law Commission, an entity responsible for reforming laws in the U.K., has a few ideas as to why commonholds remain so sparse.

Some potential issues affect homeowners. When changing from a leasehold to a commonhold, the law requires unanimous consent from every inhabitant 21 years or older, the freeholder, and every lender with a mortgage. Naturally, getting this many people informed, let alone on board with such a big change, is difficult. In addition, the commonhold association, the U.K. equivalent of a community association board, is a company under the current law. As such, leaseholders could face criminal penalties for violating the law. This standard is much too risky for any homeowner. Regulations also might be too stringent in some areas and overly flexible in others. For example, maintenance obligations are unchangeable regardless of age and price of the building, but on the other hand, fire insurance is the only type of insurance buildings are required to have, whereas other types of buildings require flooding and theft insurance.

Overall, commonhold’s failure to launch might simply be due to lack of a financial incentive for developers and a gap in public awareness over this type of housing. These types of large-scale transitions can be difficult and require public backing. However, the U.K.’s housing reform endeavors are an admirable effort to jump-start conversation between potential homebuyers, legislators, commonhold owners, and developers.

The post Why are common-interest communities so uncommon in the U.K.? appeared first on Ungated: Community Associations Institute Blog.

The Concrete Craze in Home Design

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine So you don’t typically think of concrete as a decor item inside your home but something more reserved for your driveway or a home’s foundation. It can be a cold, harsh surface. So, why are so many designers now using it in the design of interior spaces? The faux […]

Thank you, neighbor! How communities grow and thrive

Buying a home in a community where you are surrounded by courteous and considerate neighbors enhances your well-being and living experience.

Since 1978, Good Neighbor Day has been an annual reminder to communities nationwide that good neighbors help communities grow and thrive. From cleaning up local parks to picking up after your pet, these simple tasks can go a long way to creating stronger, safer communities.

That’s no surprise to residents of the Forest Edge Cluster in Reston, Va., which celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sept. 22. Named for the buffer of trees and creeks surrounding the neighborhood, Forest Edge has evolved from 11 flat-roof homes in 1968 into 96 additional composite-design homes, according to Reston Now.

The community celebrated its anniversary by inviting current and former residents from the past 50 years to reunite and reminisce alongside neighbors. Nearly 100 residents attended the celebration, where they talked about their experiences living in the association. A resident who owns a nearby bake shop donated a cake, which was cut by the community’s first homeowner, Jeanne Rich.

“When I decided to run for the board, I wanted to bring back a sense of community, and now we have achieved that,” says Kathy Oris, Forest Edge board president. “We have folks who volunteer to help in numerous ways—from pulling weeds at the home of an elderly neighbor to dragging and spreading mulch at tot lots. Nobody receives a salary or compensation, besides a thank you and a smile.”

Community associations would not be a success without good neighbors. Come to think of it: We should be celebrating Good Neighbor Day every day.

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