When you're buying property, especially property you want to fix and flip or fix up and rent out, you want to be sure that you're getting the best deal possible. As you sit down to negotiate before writing up that important contract, there are several points to consider--and it's not just about the final price of the property. All of these details are open to negotiation when you're making a real estate deal.

As a small balance real estate entrepreneur, we should always pay attention to factors that positively or negatively affect our bottom line. I am of the opinion that the people I choose to work with can have the biggest impact on a deal's profit or loss. No matter your experience level as a real estate entrepreneur, it is important to constantly be evaluating your team and the ways in which you can improve. I find it most helpful to hear from industry professionals about the issues they are dealing with. The following 3 websites have been instrumental in helping me to identify who the industry professionals are within my Southern California investment property market. These websites have allowed me to develop business relationships that are key to my real estate investment business.

As a hard money loan officer, I like to think of myself as a soldier on the frontline. I am in the trenches looking at fix and flip loan scenarios, speaking with Small Balance Real Estate (SBRE) entrepreneurs, buyers and sellers agents, and attending lending conferences. Based on the trends that I am seeing, below is what I believe you can expect this summer in the California fix and flip real estate market:

The question that every small balance real estate (SBRE) investor should ask themselves on every property they purchase is: How can I maximize my return on investment? There are several areas that you can make a small financial investment in your property and maximize your returns upon sale. The MLS is full of examples of the do’s and don’ts when marketing a property for sale. These suggestions have helped me add value to my investment real estate for next to nothing out of pocket.

I asked SoCal Real Estate Group members for their opinion of the top 6 ways to add value to their fix and flip properties. The group is made up of local Southern California real estate investors that primarily focus on purchasing and repairing properties that have been neglected. Here is what they came up with:

Like many Southern Californians this time of year, I was ready to book my annual trip to the mountains after repeatedly hearing radio ads for Big Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. In the past, my options in Big Bear Lake were limited to a few lodges and hotels that had websites or ran ads. Now, vacation rental websites like VRBO.com and AirBnB.com have forever changed the hospitality industry. Travelers can easily locate their ideal vacation rental property by going online and sorting through hundreds of privately owned and operated vacation rental properties. At Trust Deed Capital we are seeing more borrowers that want to purchase real estate in vacation destinations to take advantage of the new investment opportunities these new technologies create. Before you start making offers on that beautiful cabin in Big Bear or that beach bungalow on the Mission Beach peninsula in San Diego, here is what you should know about financing these types of properties:

By no means do I consider myself an expert in real estate analysis, however, I do know enough to be dangerous. Over the past five years, I have discovered several tools that have given me more confidence in analyzing real estate deals. In my experience, there is no other online tool as valuable as Propertyradar.com. Here are 5 features within the Propertyradar.com software that I consistently utilize over any other real estate evaluation tool: