Real Estate

Vacant House Threats: The Squatter Risk

Vacant House Threats: The Squatter Risk

Vacant houses happen for a host of reasons. People relocate. Someone passes away. An investment property that isn’t rented out immediately. 

The point is, vacancy happens. And an issue that is becoming worse and worse and about to be exasperated is people squatting in these properties leaving property owners nearly powerless. 

I know what you are thinking. Dad passed away last month and I finally came to the point where I have it in me to go over to their house and start cleaning it out and preparing it for sale… I go to open the door and find a family has moved in. 

I’ll just call the cops and they will get these criminals out of this house right away. 

Ha. Ya. No. 

The majority of states have laws that have made it exceedingly difficult to get squatters out once they have settled in. Someone who breaks into mom and dads house and establishes themselves there are granted tenant rights. Especially when they whip out that fake lease.

You heard that right. You need to evict them. This means that squatters could live in your parents property for months, maybe even years… All while not paying a dime and possibly ruining the property. 

This may make you sick. Well, if you are a good and honest person, then actually a lot of what I am about to show you and say to you will make you sick. 

Check out this post in a Facebook Group. This is a person who is squatting in a 3 bed house and has water and electric in their names and needs some tips. 

And sure enough. Another criminal is quick to jump in with tips of never leaving it empty. Putting a for sale sign in front of it and acting like it’s theirs. Hang real curtains. Paint the shutters. Meet the neighbors and act like you own...

Weymouth, Massachusetts 2023 Real Estate Market Recap

Weymouth, Massachusetts 2023 Real Estate Market Recap

The Weymouth, Massachusetts Real Estate market had some good news… And some bad news in 2023. The bad news sales were down. A lot. But sales and pricing are not correlated. It’s inventory and pricing that is correlated. 

Home sales in Weymouth were down 25.4% as there were 352 Single Family homes sold in 2023 which is compared to the 472 units sold in 2022. 

The average sales price of $620,831 was up 3.8% in 2023 from the $597,945 in 2022. The median price told a little better of a story… For home sellers that is! The median price of $605,000 in 2023 was 5.2% higher than the median price of $575,000 in 2022. 

There were 402 Single Family homes that were listed in Weymouth in 2023. This means that newly listed properties were down by 23.4% as there were 525 newly listed Single Family homes in Weymouth in 2022. Want to see all the current Homes for Sale in Weymouth

 

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Beacon Hill 2023 Real Estate Market Recap

Beacon Hill, the neighborhood famed for stunning Beacon Hill Brownstone did not have its best year. Home sales in Beacon Hill were down by 27.5% as we sold 129 units in 2023. This is compared to the 178 closed units in 2022. 

The median sales price was also down for Beacon Hill Real Estate. The median price in 2022 was $1.250 million dollars which represented a .99% decrease in the sold median sales price. The median sales price in 2022 was $1.625 million. 

Oftentimes, especially in the city, a new large (luxury) building that is being developed and hits the market can throw off the sales levels and pricing for a specific neighborhood. In this case we can contribute some of this disparity to 110 Sudbury Street which is a 55 unit luxury building. We also had the continued sell out of the Archer Residences at 45 Temple Street which is a 62 luxury building. 

You can check out the current Beacon Hill Homes For Sale .

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2024 Real Estate Market Predictions

2024 Real Estate Market Predictions

So what will 2024 look like for the real estate market? 2023 was a rough year with the interest rates surging and prices still increasing. It put a squeeze on home affordability. 

So what’s in store for us in the Real Estate Market in 2024? Will we get a break in home prices? Will we see affordability improve? Or will it be more of the same where home prices continue to go up and the challenges in the marketplace for buyers get worse? 

We are going to talk about it all from Inventory levels, buyer demand, the number of transactions, mortgage rates, recession likelihood as well as prices. Keep in mind that real estate is local and that much of what we will discuss is national, but I will also talk about the local Massachusetts market as well. 

Real quick. My name is Jeff Chubb and I am a retired investment banker turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 homes. If you have real estate questions, then I am here to help. 

Let’s first talk about interest rates, because they owned the headlines in 2023. The interest rate environment has improved significantly from the 8% peak that we saw in 2023 as we now hover around 6.5%. And this happened quickly which offered buyers pretty much instant relief. 

In 2024 I believe that you will see interest rates stay within the 6% to 6.5% range. You may see some dips into the high 5’s, but interest rates are not going back to the 3 or 4% range. Do not hold your breath waiting for rates to go down that low to buy a house, because otherwise you are going to turn out looking like these guys!

The FED will do some rate relief. It’s an election year. It will happen. But I don’t necessarily...

Quincy 2023 Real Estate Market Recap

It wasn’t a great year for Quincy Real Estate… But it could have been worse too! 

Home sales in Quincy, Massachusetts were down 20.2% as there were 289 Single Family homes sold in 2022 which is compared to the 362 that were sold in 2023. 

The average sales price of $706,064 was down 1.53% in 2023 from the $717,043 in 2022. The median home price was $660,000 in 2022 compared to the 2023 median price of 663,000. This would equate to a .5% increase in pricing. So depending on which data you are looking at… The Quincy Real Estate market could be marginally better or marginally worse. 

In 2023, there were only 4 houses in Quincy that sold for more than $1.5 million. This is compared to the 8 homes that sold above $1.5 million in 2022. This 50% collapse in the luxury Quincy Homes For Sale segment of the market is what pushed down the average price point a bit for 2023.

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Cohasset 2023 Real Estate Market Recap

Cohasset 2023 Real Estate Market Recap

Cohasset Real Estate did not have the hallmark year in 2023 that many had hoped. 

Home sales were down 34.4% with there being 59 closed Single Family home sales in 2023. This is compared to the 90 closed sales in 2022. 

The average sales price was down 6.9% from $1,740,454 in 2022 to $1,617,043 in 2023. It’s a little bit of a different story when you look at Median prices however. Median pricing was up 7.2% as the median price was $1,375,000 in 2022 compared to the median price of $1.474,000 in 2023.

So what is making for a big disparity in the numbers?

In 2023 there were 8 home sales from $2,000,000 to $2,999,999 and 5 Home sales from $3,000,000 or above. This is compared to 2022 when there were 15 home sales from $2,000,000 to $2,999,999 and 9 home sales in the $3,000,000 plus range. 

In other words, it was the 45.8% collapse in the luxury Cohasset Homes For Sale market that pushed down the average price point for 2023. 

 

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Top 10 Appreciating Towns in Massachusetts for 2023

Top 10 MA Appreciation

What a year! The consensus was that real estate values were going to tank, but yet the top real estate market in Massachusetts saw average sales increase nearly 30%! 

We saw 202 markets out of the 252 markets in the state see home values increase in 2023. So it is safe to say that for most homeowners it was a pretty good year throughout the state of Massachusetts.

In this video we are going to go over the top 10 appreciating markets for SIngle Family homes in Massachusetts in 2023. So how did we come about this data. We used the primary MLS in the state which is MLSPIN. We excluded any towns that had less than 30 sales in either 2022 or 2023 as that is not enough data for a complete analysis. Now let’s get into the data!

The 10th best appreciating town in Massachusetts for 2023 was Westborough, Massachusetts. Westborough saw 98 sales for an average sales price of $890,605. While sales levels were down 30.5%, home values in Westborough, MA were up 17.1% for 2023. Check out all the Westborough Homes For Sale !  

The 9th best appreciating town was Lunenburg, MA. Lunenburg had 127 Single Family homes sell in 2023. This equates to a 9.3% decrease in sales while their $573,270 average sales price equated to a 17.4% increase in pricing. 

The 8th highest appreciating town in Massachusetts was Ashburnham. Ashburnham had 78 single family homes close in 2023 for an average sales price of $470,137. Ashburnham had a 12.4% decrease in sales and a 17.4% increase in pricing in 2023.

The 7th best performing town in Massachusetts for 2023 was Holland, Massachusetts. Holland saw 30 home sales at an average sales price of $376,563...

Top Appreciation & Depreciating Boston Neighborhoods for 2023

Top 3 Boston Appreciation & Depreciation Neighborhoods of 2023.

What a year for real estate. Everyone said it was gonna die off and be the way of 2008 with massive housing price declines. As a whole, it didn’t. The market in Massachusetts was a strong performer. But not all neighborhoods in Boston had the same fate. One neighborhood was down nearly 10%!

We disqualified neighborhoods that had under 20 sales. These neighborhoods included Bay Village, Mission Hill and the Chinatown/Leather District. It was not enough data for a good analysis. Our Multi-Listing service also doesn’t necessarily play by the Boston neighborhood rules… Sometimes it makes sense. Other Times it does not.  For example, the Seaport District was separated from South Boston. The Waterfront area is separated from the North End while Downtown lumped together the Financial District, Theatre District and Midtown. 

In 2023, the largest city in New England saw 4,887 properties closed with a median sales price of $799,000. We looked at all Single Family, Condo and Multi-Family sales in all the neighborhoods. Click Here to search all Boston Homes For Sale

This means that Boston saw a 21% decrease in the amount of units sold with prices going up 3.1% as in 2022 we sold 6,187 units for a median sales price of $775,000. 

Oh, real quick. My name is Jeff Chubb and I am a retired investment banker turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 homes. If you have real estate questions, then I am here to help.

So 3.1% for the entire city of Boston. Not bad. Again, especially for a year where everyone was saying that the market was going to tank. 

Let's first go over the top 3 best performing neighborhoods in Boston.

The third...

2023 Massachusetts Real Estate Market Recap

The 2023 Massachusetts Market Recap

The 2023 chapter has come to an end. It’s hard to believe… But what a year. I have to say… That was the best real estate crash I have ever seen. 

All the so-called experts said 2023 was going to be the year that the real estate market was going to crash. It didn’t happen, so now they have extended their prediction into 2024! Which I can tell you with all certainty won’t happen. 

But let’s get into it all. What happened in the 2023 Massachusetts Real Estate Market. And what does it all mean for 2024 in the Single Family, Condo and Multi-Family Real Estate markets? 

Real quick, my name is Jeff Chubb and I am a recovering Investment banker, turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 homes. If you are planning on buying or selling a home now or in the future, then it would be a pleasure to speak with you. 

Let’s start with Single Families

We saw 36,248 Single Family homes sell in Massachusetts for an average sales price of $756 thousand dollars. 

It wasn’t a pretty year when you look at it from the sales perspective, but the market performed better than my prediction of 3% at this time last year. 

Yes, I was wrong with my prediction. I said the market was going to go up a max of 3% in 2022. I own that. But I will also point out that I was closer to being right then all of the market crashing crowd. 

Let’s start out with the sales. There wasn’t one month in 2023 that we exceeded the sales levels that we saw in 2022. Actually the closest year over year numbers we saw were in November where sales were off 9.2%. 

The 36,248...

MASSIVE HOUSING MARKET LIES That Are Costing You

MASSIVE HOUSING MARKET LIES That Are Costing You…

There is a lot of bad information about the real estate market that is being given right now… And in most cases it’s being given as opinion, rather than backed up by facts. 

For the last year and a half, I have seen countless people with rather large followings talking about how the market was going to crash. In all honesty, at what point do they have to atone for their lies, pandering and misleading? The best way to sum these guys up is equating them to the saying that a broken clock is right twice a day. 

Yes there are SOME markets around the country that have gone down. But as a whole, the Real Estate Market just took some of its biggest blows and is going to come out of 2023 looking… Okay. Let’s take a look at some of the things that these market crashers are claiming are lies. We will examine the issue and then see what the stats say. 

As we look at this all, remember that Real Estate is local. What’s going on in one market does not mean that it will go on in another market. Talking about the national real estate market is as dumb as talking about the national average temperature. 

Real quick. My name is Jeff Chubb and I am a retired investment banker turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 homes. If you have real estate questions, then I am here to help. 

If you have been around the block this year, then most likely you have heard the term “date the rate and marry the house”. Now this guy in particular is saying that this is a massive lie and that it’s a dumb concept. But...

Prepare For MAJOR CHANGES AHEAD in the Housing Market

Prepare For MAJOR CHANGES AHEAD - Housing Market Craziness

Change is constant. Especially when you look at the real estate market. 

It’s the end of the year. We had the self anointed smartest guys in the room telling us that the housing market was going to go down in 2023. It didn’t. And they are telling us more of the same that it’s going to go down in 2024. 

But the real estate market just took some of the biggest blows one could throw at it. 13 year record low in housing sales. Highest interest rates we have seen in more than two decades. A high inflation environment with slowing economic growth. 

So what’s the data saying about the market ahead? Is it a cautionary tale ahead? 

Real quick. My name is Jeff Chubb and I am a retired investment banker turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 homes. If you have real estate questions, then I am here to help. 

It’s a smaller subset of data, but the most recent nonetheless. I took the sales from December 1st through December 19th for Single Family houses in the state of Massachusetts. This totaled 1,638 closed units. So while the date range is small, it wasn’t a small sample size. 

Yes, this is Massachusetts data, But there is a good chance that if you are in a different state, that your data would look very similar. 

This data represents some of the last closings as we head into 2024. This is some of our best data to help us form opinions on what the market will look like as we head into the Winter and all important...

Wall Street banned from Buying Houses?

It seems that the rich men north of Richmond have taken note that their constituents feel that housing prices are too high and that by darn it… They are going to do something about it. 

That’s why they released two pieces of legislation to deal with these greedy hedge funds driving up housing values. The two bills attacked the same route, but went at it in a different way. 

You have the “End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act of 2023” and the American Neighborhoods Protection Act”. It’s so cute how they come up with these names. For anyone who doesn’t think a name or title matters, then they really need to go look at the names of the legislation that our betters pass in Washington. 

IF… And that is an enormous IF. But IF one of these bills were to be passed, then would it actually do anything? Let’s take a look. 

But real quick. My name is Jeff Chubb and I am a retired investment banker turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 homes. If you have real estate questions, then I am here to help. 

We all know the deal. Affordability challenges have made it so that a lot of Americans can’t achieve the American Dream of Homeownership. But don’t worry, the Federal Government is here to help. It makes sense, because as we had discussed in a previous video, they are the majority of the reason as to why homeownership is out of reach for so many. 

Let’s talk about the End Hedge Fund Control act first. This bill would ban hedge funds from owning Single-Family houses and require them to sell at least 10% of the total...

High Home Prices - Who is to blame?

Higher Home Costs. Who’s to Blame

I see it or hear it pretty much every day. Home prices are too high. Because they are too high, they will need to crash. So who or what is really to blame for these nosebleed home prices? It’s not a simple answer as there are a lot of elements that make up the problem of high home prices… And by saying the problem, that is obviously in the eyes of a home buyer… because home sellers absolutely love it! 

When doing the research for this video, I even saw one Wall Street economic advisor blaming the baby boomer generation! Talk about a surface level reasoning. He felt that baby boomers getting divorced and thereby needing two houses for every couple was the reason for high prices. No. That’s not it. 

Real quick. My name is Jeff Chubb and I am a retired investment banker turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 homes and am one of the top real estate agents in Massachusetts. If you have real estate questions, then I am here to help. 

The simple reasoning is Supply and Demand. Demand is outstripping supply which is creating a low inventory environment and a market of scarcity. Any time resources are scarce, then prices go up. 

But WHY is this the case? Again, there are many foundational reasons that contribute to higher prices. It’s not just one. And I should also mention that I personally have benefited from most of them. I am not saying to get rid of them or even change them. The goal of this is to shine the light on the real culprit of why housing prices are high. Then from there the conversation can continue on if we want to fix it and how we would. ...

It's Housing Inflation. Not Housing Appreciation

It’s Inflation. Not Appreciation. 

Question for you… How do you talk about prices and them going up? I mean, let’s take my Diet Coke for example. The cost of this diet coke has gone up by at least 50 cents this year. So if you and I were talking about prices, then would you say to me that the diet coke has appreciated 50 cents this year? 

Probably not. That would kind of be dumb. Then why is it that any price gains that we talk about when it comes to Real Estate are always appreciation? Wouldn’t it be fair to say that price gains for real estate are inflation plus appreciation? 

But real quick. My name is Jeff Chubb and I am a retired investment banker turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 homes and am one of the top Realtors in Massachusetts. If you have real estate questions, then I am here to help. 

I think this is the major reason that people are constantly saying there is a bubble in real estate. They see the prices going up and up and up. I mean it’s not just real estate it’s all around us. 

Check this out. https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/inflation2008-2023a_0.png?itok=clOXEISa

It’s a bar graph for prices for Consumer Goods and Services in the United States. 

So should we say that the cost of Hospital Services have appreciated by 99.8%? Or how about the cost of college appreciating 64.4%? I mean both are investments, right? One is an investment in our health with the other being an investment in our knowledge and thereby our future earning...

Cost Segregation Analysis - Pay a LOT Less in Taxes

Pay a LOT Less in Taxes - Cost Segregation Analysis

Do you want to pay less in taxes? That’s a dumb question, who doesn’t? 

Well let’s talk about drastically reducing your tax bill or even eliminating it through buying and owning real estate by doing a Cost Segregation Study. It’s something that the wealthy and big business and developers have been doing for YEARS. 

But first, real quick, my name is Jeff Chubb and I am a recovering Investment banker, turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 properties. We get calls, texts and emails from folks just like you who are looking to buy or sell an investment property in the Boston Metro area and I absolutely love it! So whether you are looking to make a real estate investment in the next 9 or 90 days… It doesn’t matter. Give us a call, shoot us an email or stop by YouTubeRealEstateAgent.com and fill in your information and we will reach out to you! 

Let’s just remind everyone that I am not a CPA. I am just a real estate expert that have seen many friends and clients take advantage of this monumental opportunity. I recommend that you consult with your own accountant and advisor to ensure that you are able to utilize this additional depreciation on a timeframe that works for you. 

So what is Cost Segregation? It is a tax deferral strategy that frontloads depreciation deductions in the early years of facility ownership. Segregating the cost components of your building into the proper asset classifications and recovery periods could result in significantly shorter tax lives of five, seven and 15 year spans. Instead of the standard 27.5 or 39 year depreciation period. 

Think about it. Does it really make sense to depreciate a water heater over 27.5 years when it will most likely only last 10 years? ...

RIP Real Estate Agents - NAR Litigation

RIP - Real Estate Agents

You’ve seen it, right? A jury ruled that real estate companies were colluding and that a seller is no longer forced to offer a buyer agency fee. And with that ruling, they awarded them a boat load of money! And by them… I really mean the attorneys, because they are the ones that really made out! 

There is a lot of bad information out there. As an example, I have had a couple of people say it was a supreme court ruling... It was not. Let’s get some clarification on what happened as well as talk about what this could mean going forward. Because there is no doubt about it. The real estate world is about to change. Some for the better and well some of it won’t be pretty. 

But first, real quick, my name is Jeff Chubb and I am a recovering Investment banker, turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 properties. Let’s just say that I have been around the block at this point. 

So a quick recap in case you were living under a rock. A group of 500,000 sellers in Missouri sued the National Association of Realtors, some real estate companies like Keller Williams, RE/MAX and Anywhere which owns brands like Coldwell Banker and Century 21. The lawsuit said that the NAR and real estate agents colluded to force sellers to offer a buyer agent a commission. 

RE/MAX and Anywhere settled leaving NAR, KW and Berkshire Hathaway to fight the suit. And it did not end well. The jury after a mere 2 hours of deliberation handed down a $1.7 Billion dollar ruling that ultimately could turn into $5.4 Billion in damages. 

A lot of agents and organizations… Including the National Association of Realtors is saying that this verdict won’t stick and they will win on appeal and that appeal could take years… And therefore...

The Pros & Cons to Living in Quincy, Massachusetts

Pros & Cons Quincy

So you are thinking about making a move to Quincy and you want to know everything that there is to know about living in Quincy. Like where it is, what makes it special, where are the good shops and restaurants… But you also want to hear of some possible downsides so you know the full story of Quincy and whether it's worth your consideration. And you may just be curious about all the Quincy Homes For Sale

Well that is what we are going to tackle today in the video on the Pros and Cons of Quincy.
But first, real quick, my name is Jeff Chubb and I am a recovering Investment banker, turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 homes. We get calls, texts and emails from folks just like you who are looking to make a move or sell their home in the Boston Metro area and I absolutely love it! So whether you are looking to make a move in the next 9 or 90 days and are looking for homes for sale in Quincy MA … It doesn’t matter. Give us a call, shoot us an email or stop by YouTubeRealEstateAgent.com and fill in your information and we will reach out to you!

Quincy is located 11 miles South of Boston. It actually shares a small border with Dorchester which is a neighborhood in Boston. How long it can take to drive to Boston really depends on where you live in Quincy. If you are close to 93, then you would be in the 15 to 20 minute range. But if you live further out say by the Fore River Bridge then you would be looking at more like 20 to 30 minutes. Add in a little 93 or Neponset traffic and that 30 minutes could quickly turn into 50 minutes! Video Editor Notes: Let’s highlight the Red Line...

What you need to about Cohasset - The Pro's & Cons of this Boston Suburb Town

So you are thinking about making a move to Cohasset which is a suburb South of Boston and you want to know everything that there is to know about living in Cohasset. Like where it is, what makes it special, where are the good shops and restaurants… But you also want to hear of some possible downsides so you know the full story of Cohasset and whether it's worth your consideration. 

Well you are in luck because that is what we are going to talk about today!

Cohasset is located about 20 miles Southeast of Boston. It is surrounded by the towns of Hull to the North, Hingham to the West, Scituate to the South and the Atlantic Ocean to the East. 

Ultimately what makes Cohasset special with its location and proximity to the ocean is also what can be its downfall to others… But I feel like I am getting a little ahead of myself there. The town is serviced by the Commuter Rail, however many residents will drive to the Hingham Shipyard and take the Ferry into Boston. Driving into the city could take anywhere from 45 minutes on days without traffic to and hour and 15 minutes or more depending on the misery that we call 93. 

Residents don’t really consider parts of the town neighborhoods… They are more areas if you will. You have the Village and or the Harbor area  which is the area close to the downtown and the Harbor. You have the area that is South of town that goes down South Main and subsequently the area North of town which goes down North Main. The area by Black Rock Beach and then the area by Beachwood. And I guess the area by Sandy Beach. Don’t get me wrong. There are neighborhoods like Linden Drive or Fairoaks, but the town is mostly made up of small streets with a small collective...

Foreclosure Process & Foreclosure Help

The Foreclosure Process & Foreclosure Help

So you or someone you know have fallen on hard times and are facing foreclosure. It happens to the best of us with the majority of the times from situations that are out of our control. Divorce, illness, death and job loss are some of the reasons that come to mind. 

I know how it feels. I too have fallen on hard times. I can also remember being a kid and losing our family home. I’ve been there and remember the helping hand that my parents received. 

My name is Jeff Chubb and I am a recovering Investment banker, turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 homes. I have extensive experience in working with folks who are facing some hard times and even harder decisions… It doesn’t matter where you live. It doesn’t matter where you are in the foreclosure process,. give me a call, shoot me an email or stop by YouTubeRealEstateAgent.com and fill in your information and we will reach out to you!  I am hoping to be your helping hand through this situation. 

It’s important to know that your Foreclosure Options change depending on how much time you have and where you are in the Foreclosure Process. You will have a lot more and frankly better Foreclosure options available If you have just missed your second Mortgage Payment compared to having a Foreclosure Sale Date on your house tomorrow. We are going to talk about all the Foreclosure Options available to you shortly, but first let’s make sure we understand the Foreclosure Process first. 

Remember that not all situations are alike. As an example, you are reserved special rights if you are in the military service and away in active duty or even if your loan is a Foreclosure FHA loan or Foreclosure VA Loan. If that is the case, then you will have a little more time than a conventional...

Why Sell a House Below Market Value?

Why Sell a House for Below Market Value?

Why would anyone sell their house at a price that was below market value? This is a question that I get quite often and one that I am going to answer in this video. 

Real quick, my name is Jeff Chubb and I am a recovering Investment banker, turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 homes. We get calls, texts and emails from folks just like you who are looking to make a move or sell their home in the Boston Metro area and I absolutely love it! So whether you are looking to make a move in the next 9 or 90 days… It doesn’t matter. Give us a call, shoot us an email or stop by YouTubeRealEstateAgent.com and fill in your information and we will reach out to you! 

One of our businesses is buying a house at favorable terms and selling it for a profit. But here is the thing, we always make sure that the people that we are buying the house from are aware that we are buying it for below market value and are going to sell it for a profit. 

So why would anyone ever sell their house to me for less than it’s worth even with the retail market value numbers in front of them?

There are a multitude of reasons. Maybe they have already tried to sell their house the traditional way and that process was too slow. 

But I would say that 95% of the time, we buy houses from people that are in one of the five following situations: Preforeclosure, Divorce, Health or Safety, Inheritance or tired landlords. 

All of these people have a big problem and don’t want to list their house the traditional way. Maybe they just don’t want their neighbors knowing a situation of preforeclosure or divorce. They just prefer that the house be sold...