Month of the Investors!!
In the Month of December, we have helped one investor purchase 3 rental investments (2 single family and a fourplex), helped a second investor purchase an investment property to flip for their ministry and family, and a third investor purchased another great rental property while being in California.
In real estate there is normally a prevailing thought that the hottest months are in the summertime. Most realtors and people in real estate start to take it easy after Thanksgiving. The focus for most tends to be on getting ready for the holidays, and to start taking it easy with a perceived lack of opportunities. However, this is not the case with Uprise!! Believe it or not the winter months of November and December are typically our busiest and best months. Why? Because, just like you learned in sports, while everyone else is taking it easy we are working and getting better. While other realtors are slowing down their businesses we are available and looking for those that want and need help. The winter time is a great time to invest in homes due to lower competition, a great time to buy due to lower competition, and believe it or not even sell due to low supply and less choices for some buyers. If you know anyone looking for help now or the beginning of next year, let us know so we can help them get the results and the help they deserve.
Honoring and Valuing People Everyday
Imagine speaking to a lender at the beginning of the year and you are told in order to purchase a home you need to increase your credit rating to qualify for a loan. It’s actually not a stretch of the imagination, as many people often find themselves in that situation. However, what if you chose to work on paying down debt for one whole year and then your lender tells you that your score increased by only a few points and you couldn’t get pre-approved for a home mortgage loan because you actually needed to pay down a different debt to increase your score. Unfortunately, this situation happens quite often. With all hopes of home ownership slashed, a new client came in to speak to one of our realtors about their situation. Following their meeting, our team member set the client up with a free consultation with a credit repair company and he is going to check in monthly with his client to continue to answer any questions they might have and encourage them that their dream is still possible.
Honoring people and providing value is what Uprise does best. Honor is one of our company’s core values and we take it very seriously. At this point, we don’t know if the client will be able to purchase a home in the near future, but at least our team member is helping their client get in a better financial position. If you have any questions about home ownership and don’t know where to start, our realtors are available to do a free consultation with you to guide you on the right path. We want to honor your goals and provide value, so at the consultation our realtors will help you set up a game plan to help you achieve home ownership. You might not be ready to buy a home for another year, but our realtors can provide guidance to help you get closer to your goal.
Elon Musk moves to Texas
The Californian exodus to Texas is making news again. This time, it is tech companies and automakers. According to Entrepreneur.com and MSNBC, Elon Musk is moving to Texas. Earlier this year, the billionaire threatened to leave California due to the restrictions placed on businesses during the pandemic. He followed through by announcing the construction of new projects in Austin and South Texas and moving the Musk Foundation to Austin.
Last week, notable tech company Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced that it will be moving its headquarters to Houston, Texas. Wealthy tech executives are leaving California looking to keep more of their earnings by avoiding high taxation. California currently has the highest state income tax in the nation, while Texas does not impose a state income tax. The wealthy in California are getting fed up with the high taxation, the cost of living in the state, and they are moving their businesses out of the state. As companies prepare for the future, many are beginning to look at Texas as a potential home base. The latest Texas Realtor’s relocation report indicates that Texas welcomed 86,164 former Californians. As business booms in Texas, home prices will likely see an increase and the demand for homes will continue to increase as more people move to follow these companies.
If you are looking to sell your home and you would like a free home valuation, our realtors at Uprise can generate a report for you.
Renovation Project Update
Last month, we introduced you to Cassie and Mike’s home renovation project. Cassie came to Uprise several months ago with her vision and concept for her home renovation. She wanted to gut her kitchen, reconfigure the kitchen layout, change out flooring in the home and remodel her guest bathroom. Initially, she tried to reach out to contractors on her own, but was discouraged when contractors didn’t respond to her request for bids or provided quotes outside her budget.
When Uprise chose to expand our project management services to homeowners, Cassie called Uprise and asked if we could manage her remodel. The project is now complete and Uprise was able to turn Cassie’s vision into reality. Our project manager worked closely with Cassie regarding the design and style she preferred for her home. The biggest advantage for Cassie was that she didn’t have to deal with contractors herself and she was kept updated on the project the entire time.
COVID-19 Mental Health Awareness
As many of you know, at Uprise we don’t just care about real estate. Our mission statement indicates that we care about people’s financial, spiritual, and personal lives. We would be remiss not to talk about the effects Covid-19 is having on Mental Health. At the start of the pandemic news stories indicated an increase in domestic violence cases and child abuse yet it didn’t capture Adam’s full attention until recently.
About 3 months ago, Adam began hearing more from friends, colleagues, clients, vendors, and family about how they were either struggling emotionally and mentally. Some mentioned they were looking for a therapist or began seeing a counselor for help. During Covid-19, the economic shutdown, the loss of jobs, the death of family members and friends has weighed heavily on people’s emotional and mental health. Add to it, the natural fear of our current circumstance, the fear being spread by news and media outlets, the inability to socialize as we were accustomed to, the cabin fever from being cooped at home for the safety of others have all taken its toll on our well-being. With limited options in coping mechanisms and the added stress and pain, people are finding themselves struggling physically, emotionally, and mentally.
We applaud everyone who has put their ego/pride aside and sought the help they needed. There is no reason for anyone to suffer alone when there is love and care all around us. If you or anyone you know are in need of someone to talk to or just need help in any way, please feel free to reach out to Uprise or any of the resources below. They come highly recommended and some are people we have personally used as well. Remember, at Uprise we desire to exemplify our core value of Drive: Hunger to grow. A lot of times leaving the ego and pride at the door is required to get better and grow.
We love you. Feel free to email prayer requests as well. We’ll be praying for all of you.