RE Investing in 2026

Yesterday I posted about how the real estate market changed in 2025 and shared my predictions for 2026. I’ve been thinking about the the human response, the conversations, and quiet head-nods so far this year — so...have you been thinking "What if..."?

Here’s what I see shaping 2026:

• Slower sales and less competition create more motivated sellers

• More motivated sellers lead to better prices and better terms

• Better terms create real opportunities — if you know how to structure them

Ironically, these are exactly the conditions investors say they want — especially buy-and-hold investors. Yet now that they’ve finally arrived, fear is quietly pushing a lot of people to the sidelines.

When the market shifts away from low supply and frantic demand, we often start “what-if-ing” our way into a very costly decision: doing nothing — right when some of the best deals of our investing lives could be made.

You’ve probably heard these questions (or asked them yourself):

• What if I buy at a discount and prices drop even further?

• What if I negotiate great seller financing on a rental, but rents soften?

• What if I lock up a wholesale deal and there’s no buyer?

Those questions are normal. Healthy, even.
But here’s the truth: they’re all UNanswerable.

Wouldn't it be a shame if you miss out in 2026 simply because you don&rs ... Read More…

 How Smart Are You Now - in 2026?

If you’re anything like me, you got your start in real estate during the Great Recession. It was an incredible time to learn the ropes, build confidence, and get your feet wet. And honestly—the decade that followed was pretty fantastic.

That kind of market has real advantages. Flips—both wholesale and retail—sold fast. Renters were easy to find, and rents seemed to rise year after year. The headlines were upbeat. A couple of years ago, we were all geniuses.
Everyone felt smart.

Of course, even with the wind at our backs, there were challenges. Everyone wanted in. Competition was fierce. Good deals were harder to find as buyers raced each other, prices were bid up, and margins on the buy got squeezed. But when it came time to sell, the same frenzy helped us recover—often getting top dollar on the exit.

The market just kept going up… and up… and up.
It felt unstoppable.

Until it wasn’t.

Change always comes to real estate, and in 2025, it arrived. Buyers are hesitating. Inventory is growing. Homes are sitting longer—even with price cuts. Deals that truly pencil, whether as long-term holds or profitable flips, are harder to find and take more work. Many of us are asking tougher questions and second-guessing marginal deals.

Is now still a good time to invest in real estate?

YES.
As Robert Kiyosaki says, it’s always a good time—if you change your strategy.

Lowe ... Read More…

 Just yesterday - almost literally, the news was that House Flipping is Down.  Now, the news is that House Flipping is strong! What gives? 

After reading an article published by Housing Wire, and written by Jessica Guerin, I want to share with you the statistics show that house flipping is strong again.  The number of homes flipped in America is approaching its high of 2006, just before the crash.

The latest data from CoreLogic reveals that 10.9% of all home sales in the fourth quarter of 2018 were flips, or homes that have been occupied for two years or less. This is the highest rate since the housing bubble days of 2006, when flips comprised 11.4% of home sales. (See chart below)

House Flipping accounts for close to 15% of the current home sales in America

The overzealous speculation of house flippers in the months leading up to the crisis is often cited as a contributing factor to the housing bubble. So should we be worried now that houses built on spec appear to be making a comeback?

No, says CoreLogic, citing evidence suggesting that the business practices of flipping is far better than what it used to be. Flippers are much more educated today, then they were 13 years ago. Instead of flipping homes based solely on price speculation, investors are flipping with a focus on adding real value to properties. 

At Oregon Real Estate Investors our motto last year was “Making Neighborhoods Great Again!” as the majority of the members were focused on Flipping.   Many of o ... Read More…

If you are a house flipper, you may be feeling the pull of a shift in the business. Then again, you may be rising above the challenges in the house flipping market.  Nation-wide, it appears, the house flipping market is getting tougher, not just in Eugene/Springfield Oregon.

According to ATTOM Data Solutions (a leading provider of property data - providing access to nationwide real estate and property data for more than 155 million U.S. properties), a total of 45,901 single family homes and condos were flipped in the 3rd quarter of 2018. Those numbers indicate that flipping was down 12% from a year ago and a 3.5 year low. According to the chart below, the downward trend started about 12 months ago.

 

Why is property flipping down 12%?

Possibly because of rising interest rates, which is putting pressure on mortgage rate to increases.
Possibly because of the decline in new home construction, which causes a tight housing supply,
and possibly because we in real estate wonder if  this trend will likely continue into the near future.

More reasons property flipping is down 12%

The article from ATTOM went on to show the “gross” profit margins were declining as well but overall very healthy.

As glamorous as it is to flip properties on television, those of us in the trenches doing it know that there are lots of struggles today that hit the bottom line. The cost of materials are up. The cost of labor is up ... Read More…

When it comes to making offers, most investors only know how to make one offer at a time.  They usually make an all cash offer, also known as the MAO (Maximum Allowable Offer) or they get a loan from a bank, hard money lender or a private investor.  This strategy has worked fine for investors and if you are only making offers on bank REOs on through the MLS, then a cash/MAO offer is really all you will be able to make.

The average number offers to get one accepted with this approach is 20-40 offers to get one accepted in today’s market for most of the country.  Some more experienced investors have been able to reduce that number down to about 5-10 offers to one acceptance by being very selective on what properties to make offers on.  In other words, they know from experience that certain properties from certain banks or listing agents simply will not accept their offers so they don’t even make the offers. 

The secret to success in the real estate business is making offers.  The problem is that most investors use the same offer process when dealing with sellers directly and they are missing some huge opportunities if they just knew how to create alternative offers that don’t require cashing out the seller.

Ask yourself these two questions: ... Read More…