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Public-sector borrowings for July were less than expected as the UK government benefited from an increase in corporation tax receipts. The net borrowing figure for July came in at £3.8 billion against a forecast of £5.25 billion and compares favourably to the £6.1 billion of net borrowings in the same month last year. So what does this mean for the UK government?

While there is no doubt that we will see further cuts in the public-sector budget there is also no doubt that public-sector borrowing is under shooting current forecasts. So far this financial year the government has borrowed £44.9 billion against £47.5 billion at the same stage last year, a welcome improvement considering the economic backdrop. If,

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So you want to learn how to invest in real estate.  With so many different books on the subject and experts claiming that you can make big bucks with real estate you’d be surprised to learn that it may not be what you think.  I’m not saying you can’t make money with real estate but to do it is going to require a few things from you.

In this article I’m going to give you a place to start, I’m going to show you the skills you need to get started, the different types real estate investing, tips for getting started, and of course some of the down sides to investing in real estate.

Skills You Will Need

First off, you will need to learn a few skills to get started.  Knowing these things can be the difference between making a bad deal to making great deals.  You never know everything but these will give you a good place to get started.

• Finance. Knowing how to read the numbers on a deal is very important.  You will need to know how mortgages work, how to calculate the value of a property, and what type of insurance you will need for the property.
• Appraisal Methods. Next you should have a clear understanding of the different types of appraisal methods used used to value a property.  Without this knowledge you will never be able to asses the value of a property.
• Property Management. Finally, you should also know how to manage a property.  You need to think like a developer and see the problems with properties before you buy it.  You also have to have the basic understanding of how to handle home wiring, plumbing, and simple property management.  These skills will help you on maintaining a better property but also help you save some bucks as well. 

Types Of Real Estate Investing

Next now that we have a basic understanding of the types of skills you will need to get started to invest in real estate you need to know what type of real estate investing you plan to do. 

• Flipping.Flipping is a short term investing stategy were you buy a house that may be a bit out dated or run down and fix it back up and sell it a few months later.  This can be a very profitable income if you know what you are doing but it may require a bit of cash flow up front to do it since you may have to make some major repairs to update the home.
• Buy And Hold. The second method to buying real estate is the buy and hold method.  This is were you buy a property and rent it out for the long term.  With the buy and hold stategy you will have to manage tenates and property and over time that can prove to be profitable especially once you pay the loan off. 

Tips For Beginners

Real estate investing for beginners can tough to rap your head around with everything you got to know.  However if you follow the tips I will lay out for you here you will make a lot less mistakes.  However don’t just take my tips, do your own research as well. 

• Buy Low Sell High.  The first tip to being successful in real estate is that you must always buy low and sell high.  This is why you need to know how to value properties.  For example, if a seller has a property for sale at $150,000 and you offer him $140,000 you may have a good deal or you may not.  However if you were to know how to value the property you might find that anything over $125,000 is over valued for the area the property is located in and you may end up losing money on the deal.
• Buy In Good Neighorhoods.  Next don’t buy in places were they have high crime rates.  These kinds of neighorhoods should be easy to spot.  The reason you want to look for good areas is because will have to deal with less crime, drugs, and people destroying your property.  On top of that you will be able to charge a premium for your rentals and in the long run make much more money.
• Build a Team.  Third build a team to help you with your business.  These people will be able to help you spot the deals and the losers you should avoid.  These people will also help you walk your properties and may provide to very valueable advice.  To get started here are a few people you should look for, an accountant, an insurance agent, a developer, real estate agents, property managers, and a  loan officer.  Having these people can help you with your business.  For example, working with several real estate agents can help you because they will be able to sift through hundreds of properties and find the ones that fit your criteria.

The Down Side To Real Estate Investing

Finally, their are a few down sides to real estate investing.  Of all the sections in this article this is one that is very important because if you can’t handle the down sides along with the good sides this may not be a business for you.

To start the first thing you will have to realize is that you will make mistakes at one point or another.  You may buy a property at to high of a price or get bad tenates.  What ever the mistake you have to be able to keep pushing forward.  If you can’t do that this business may not be for you.

This business is also a high overhead business.  Overtime you will accumulate thousands if not millions of dollars in real estate property.  If property values drops you could lose out big.  If you are not willing to spend some big dollars this may not be a business for you.

Finally, if you can’t see yourself evicting a teneat from your apartments this may also not be for you.  To do this business you will need to have a thick skin and not be afraid to confront someone.  I know everyone hates to play the bad guy but in order to win in this business someone has to be.

Is this business for you?  Can you see yourself doing this business, not just the good but the bad as well.  If evicting people and spending large amounts of money scares you this may not be the business for you.  However, if you can see yourself walking properties, placing offers, and working with your team investing in real estate may just be for you.

J.D. Power and Associates today said customer satisfaction among credit-card users is improving. Guess what the key driver was?

“The increase in overall satisfaction from 2009 is driven primarily by improvements in satisfaction with credit card terms and billing and payment process,” the market research firm said. The most satisfied: customers who don’t pay off their balances each month.

That tells It’s Only Money that the new federal rules clamping down on some of the abusive fee practices in the industry is actually benefiting card issuers, at least in the public relations realm. American Express, Discover and U.S. Bank ranked highest in customer satisfaction. Read more…

While the Conservative government initially created the idea of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) there is no doubt that this particular initiative flourished under the former Labour government. However, there are major concerns as the short-term cost savings from many PFI projects are turning into long-term liabilities for departments such as the NHS and Education.

A recent report suggested that PFI projects with regards to the NHS could cost upwards of £50 billion more than the initial cost of the project. This is around four or five times the initial cost of the projects and is simply a consequence of long-term contracts entered into to run these particular establishments.

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The last two It’s Only Money columns stirred about as much debate as investment managers do arguing about what lies ahead: inflation or deflation.

Truly, the answer to which way prices are heading is easy: We can’t know. But we can diversify our investments to protect ourselves, as Zvi Bodie, management professor and author on investing at Boston University, reaffirmed in an e-mail exchange this week. So don’t get too caught up in all that noise.

But your opinions and questions?

They deserve much more consideration.

Credit cards

Two weeks ago, I wrote about a Federal Reserve Board study showing how much cash payers end up paying card-swipe fees and, therefore, subsidizing credit card use. Read more…