http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/http://www.fxstreet.com/education/http://mediaserver.fxstreet.com/images/fxstreet-provider-logo1-en.gif7http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-12-02.htmlI'm sitting here at my desk writing this article on the afternoon of November 24, two days before Thanksgiving. There are certainly many topics we could explore, but I can't stop thinking about giving and gratitude. I was reminded today by our local Rotary that we are the most generous nation in the world. I have chosen to write my article this week on "Habitat for Humanity." This is my subtle way of combining real estate and charitable giving. I've donated to Habitat for Humanity for at leastWed, 02 Dec 2009 14:15:57 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-12-02.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-11-25.htmlOn November 6, 2009, President Obama signed a bill to extend the tax credit for first-time homebuyers through June 30, 2010. The bill also opens up opportunities for others who are not buying a home for the first time. In this article, I'll give an overview of this tax credit. Once again, a first time homebuyer, someone who has not owned a home within the last three years may be eligible for the credit. The credit for the first time homebuyer is 10% of the purchase price of the home, with aWed, 25 Nov 2009 07:28:31 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-11-25.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-11-17.htmlAs many of you know who have seen my presentation on the current residential real estate market, I think we've hit a bottom for residential. I'm also quick to say that the market may fluctuate downward a few more percentage points, but that the freefall is over and the market will remain somewhat flat for the next 12 months. This creates a great deal of opportunity. But what about the commercial real estate market; has it hit its bottom yet? There are two major factors that are impacting theTue, 17 Nov 2009 13:26:48 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-11-17.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-11-10.htmlThe Case-Shiller Home Price Index shows prices up in 17 of 20 markets for the fourth straight month. The Case-Shiller Home Price Index is known in the industry to be one of the most conservative and some may even say the gloomiest of the major indexes. The index is clearly documenting month after month that the housing market not only has bottomed out earlier this year but is on a slow steady rise. Now let's move to home sales. According to the National Association of Realtors, resale ofTue, 10 Nov 2009 12:17:32 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-11-10.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-11-03.htmlA couple of weeks ago, I was in the corporate headquarters of Online Trading Academy in Irvine, CA, having a meeting regarding the real estate education Online Trading Academy is offering. In that meeting, we were discussing real estate education, its importance in today's market and a variety of buying strategies. I kept using the acronym REO, and finally someone in the meeting with no real estate background, but a desire to understand, asked me what the acronym stood for. I've found that weTue, 03 Nov 2009 12:06:52 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-11-03.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-10-27.htmlIn the last three years, there has been a lot of media coverage regarding Non-conventional loans. These are the risky loans that started being put into the MBS around the year 2000. Then in late 2006 and early 2007, as home prices began to plunge and alarm was spreading across mortgage backed securities desks all over Wall Street, they started to back away from the riskiest mortgages. What are Non-Conventional loans? It's a broad term describing loans that do not take the traditional form; inTue, 27 Oct 2009 10:45:11 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-10-27.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-10-20.htmlUnderstanding how loans work specifically related to real estate is very important whether you're purchasing a home, investing directly in real estate, or trading mortgage backed securities (MBS). So this week, I'll outline the basics of conventional financing and Fannie and Freddie. Next week we'll look at nontraditional loans. A conventional loan is a lender agreement that's not guaranteed or insured by the VA (Veterans Administration), FHA (Federal Housing Administration), or RHA (RuralTue, 20 Oct 2009 10:42:45 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-10-20.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-10-13.htmlAs all successful investors know, they must stay abreast of where the market has been, where it is currently and where it is forecast to be. Once a month, after all the major indexes and indicators have been released, I'll compile them and present them to you with my take on the market. With that said, we'll focus our attention on the following three indexes and indicators: The Case – Shiller Home Price Index, Pending U.S. Home Sales Index, and the Housing Starts and New Permits. On SeptemberTue, 13 Oct 2009 10:37:44 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-10-13.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-10-06.htmlAs many of you may be aware of, the early part of my professional background and my education was in accounting and taxation. One of the great advantages of real estate is the tax benefits. So, even though I no longer practice nor prepare my own tax returns, I still keep abreast of the tax laws affecting real estate and real estate investing. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 authorizes a tax credit of up to $8000 for qualified first-time homebuyers purchasing a principalTue, 06 Oct 2009 11:02:58 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-10-06.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-09-29.htmlOne of my favorite moments in the real estate workshop is when I inform students that they could be using their Self-Directed Retirement Plan (SDRP) to invest in real estate. The first question always is, "What is a Self-Directed Retirement Plan?" - The term "self-directed" simply means that you, as an individual, have complete control over selecting and directing your own individual retirement account or 401k investments. The next question is, "How can I invest in Real Estate?" - EitherTue, 29 Sep 2009 11:52:37 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-09-29.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-09-22.htmlAs the subject matter expert on real estate for Online Trading Academy, my goal is to provide you with an insight to the asset class of Real Estate. Many of you think of real estate only in the context of either residential or rental property. In this article, I'll introduce to you a couple ways of getting involved in real estate that are completely hands-off. If you want to balance your portfolio with real estate and are looking for the benefits of real estate ownership without any of theTue, 22 Sep 2009 11:46:05 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-09-22.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-09-15.htmlI attended a charity event a couple of weeks ago at a place called Rancho Los Alamitos. This Rancho was a land grant of over 300,000 acres in 1790 and is now the city of Long Beach and most of Northern Orange County, California. Learning how this Rancho was developed into some of the most valuable real estate in the country made me think of the deep history that our country has in real estate investing, speculating and development. In any investment or business it's paramount that youTue, 15 Sep 2009 11:12:16 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-09-15.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-09-09.htmlWelcome to the new Real Estate section of Lessons From the Pros! I'm excited to jump right in with a hot topic in real estate investing. I have been getting a lot of questions about what loan modifications are and how they work. A loan modification is considered a permanent change in one or more of the terms of a mortgagor's loan, allowing the loan to be reinstated (i.e. no longer delinquent), and results in a payment the mortgagor can afford. There are a lot of misconceptions about the newWed, 09 Sep 2009 11:56:18 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-09-09.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-09-01.htmlAn Uncomfortable Choice What Were We Thinking? Frugality is the New Normal And Then We Face the Real Problem The Teenagers Are in Control Choose Wisely Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, New Orleans, Detroit, and More We have arrived at this particular economic moment in time by the choices we have made, which now leave us with choices in our future that will be neither easy, convenient, nor comfortable. Sometimes there are just no good choices, only less-bad ones. In this week's letter we look atTue, 01 Sep 2009 10:58:58 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-09-01.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-08-25.htmlThe Statistical Recovery, Part Three Capacity Utilization Set to Rise A Real Estate Green Shoot? The Deleveraging Society Some Thoughts on Secular Bear Markets Weddings and Ten Years of Thoughts From the Frontline This week we further explore why this recovery will be a Statistical Recovery, or one that, as someone said, is a recovery only a statistician could love. We look at capacity utilization, more on housing, some thoughts on debt and deflation, and some intriguing charts on volatilityTue, 25 Aug 2009 11:01:05 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-08-25.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-08-18.v02.htmlThe Statistical Recovery, Part Two A Recovery Statisticians Can Love A Few Thoughts on the Housing Market Some Thoughts from Maine Tulsa, Birthdays, Weddings, and Paul McCartney A few weeks ago I first used the term "statistical recovery" to describe the nature of today's economic environment. Today we are going to further explore that concept, as it is important to have a real understanding of what is happening. This coming "recovery" is not going to feel like a typical one, and thoseTue, 18 Aug 2009 10:57:18 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-08-18.v02.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-08-11.htmlSix impossible things before breakfast, or how EMH has damaged our industry The Dead Parrot of Finance The Queen of Hearts and impossible beliefs Slaves of some defunct economist Prima facie case against EMH -- Forever blowing bubbles The EMH 'Nuclear Bomb' The Efficient Market Hypothesis, according to Shiller, is one of the most remarkable errors in the history of economic thought. EMH should be consigned to the dustbin of history. We need to stop teaching it, and brainwashing the innocent.Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:31:38 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-08-11.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-08-04.htmlThe Great Reflation Experiment The Debt Super Cycle Some Background on US Inflation Implications for Investors A Beach, New York, and Maine The question we have been focused on for some time now is whether we end up with inflation, or deflation, and what that endgame looks like. It is one of the most important questions an investor must ask today, and getting the answer right is critical. This week, we have a guest writer who takes on the topic of the great experiment the Fed is now waging,Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:24:55 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-08-04.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-07-21.htmlAnd Then There Was Leverage Too Big To Save Those Wild and Crazy Swiss A Positive Third Quarter? New York and Maine We have avoided Armageddon, at least for now. The cost to the US taxpayer has been a few trillion. Some in the media are loudly announcing the end of the recession. But we are not out of the woods yet. There are a few more bumps in the road. Actually, some of them are quite steep hills. As big as the subprime problem? Maybe. When asked a few weeks ago what was my biggestTue, 21 Jul 2009 10:43:12 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-07-21.htmlhttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-07-15.htmlThe End of the Recession? The New Normal Is Still In Our Future The Hidden Problem Within Unemployment Data Was Income Really Up? Tulsa, London, and The Baltics There is no doubt that the US is in financial trouble. Those talking of a strong recovery are just not dealing with reality. But the US is in better shape than a lot of countries. This week, we begin by looking at Japan. I have written for years about how large their debt-to-GDP ratio is, yet they keep on issuing more debt andWed, 15 Jul 2009 08:46:54 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/contact@tradingacademy.com (Online Trading Academy)http://www.fxstreet.com/education/fundamental/lessons-from-the-pros-the-broad-market/2009-07-15.html