The financial crisis showed, once again, that neglecting real estate booms can have disastrous consequences. In this paper, we spell out the circumstances under which a more active policy agenda on this front would be justified. Then, we offer tentative insights on the pros and cons as well as implementation challenges of various policy tools that can be used to contain the damage to the financial system and the economy from real estate boom-bust episodes.

Are You Missing the Real Estate Boom? author David Lereah, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, asks. We are experiencing a historic wealth-building opportunity. To ensure that your don’t miss out, Lereah provides the tools, information, and analysis you need to become a savvy real estate investor. And he shows how to integrate real estate into your overall investment strategies and financial planning goals. Among the information you’ll find in the book: How to become a master at dealing with real estate agents, brokers, and lenders. Which home improvements will result in the greatest long-term gains. How to identify the vacation homes and regions that will increase the most in value. How to finance a first-time home—with or without a big down payment. Why will the real estate boom continue into the next decade? Low interest rates are part of the story. Although mortgage rates have notched up slightly over the last year, they still remain historically very low. Technological advances from online real estate listings to automated underwriting to an explosion of financing options have reduced home ownership costs and simplified the process of buying and selling. Continued high demand from baby-boomers buying larger homes, second homes, and retirement homes, and a new wave of immigrants and “echo” boomers buying first homes, ensure that the boom will continue into the next decade. The long-term fundamentals for housing remain strong into the foreseeable future, claims Lereah. Far from a real estate “bubble,” what we are experiencing today is a phenomenon that takes place only once every other generation: a long-term real estate market expansion. Isn’t it time you started taking advantage of it today? Are you missing the real estate boom? Can you increase your wealth from it? For most people—including current homeowners—the answer is a resounding yes. But it’s not too late to increase your stake in the greatest real estate boom of our generation. Whether you are a first-time buyer or already own your home, Are You Missing the Real Estate Boom? will show you how you can dramatically increase your overall wealth. Author David Lereah, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, shows why the real estate market is poised to climb higher over the next decade—and explains what you can do to profit from it. Lereah calls today’s market a “once-in-every-other generation opportunity.” Today's boom is not just driven by low interest rates—there are a host of demographic and economic reasons why real estate will continue to outpace other investments, from the growing needs of the baby-boomer generation and the rise of the “echo” boomer generation to the new ways real estate is marketed and sold. Are you a first-time buyer? A current homeowner considering whether or not to trade up? There has never been a better time to do so, Lereah convincingly claims. In Are You Missing the Real Estate Boom?, Lereah explains what to look for when you’re buying a home; which improvements add the most value to your current home; what to consider when purchasing rental properties; how to evaluate real estate investment trusts (or REITs); and the pros and cons of second homes. Full of detailed information on how to work with a real estate agent and a mortgage lender, how to analyze local markets and regional fluctuations, and how to best finance your investment, Are You Missing the Real Estate Boom? offers readers the seasoned advice they need to invest with confidence and reap outsized rewards.

We are experiencing a historic wealth-building opportunity, says David Lereah, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors. As Lereah has predicted, the double-digit appreciation boom–far from a real estate “bubble”–is winding down to a healthy real estate expansion that will keep the long-term fundamentals for housing strong into the foreseeable future. To ensure that you don’t miss out, Lereah provides the tools, information, and analysis you need to become a savvy real estate investor.

Let’s face it—fixing and flipping houses is sexy. Who doesn’t love the idea of buying a rundown, mold-infested shack and transforming it into someone’s dream home for massive profits? Reality TV shows make it look so easy. A little paint here, some new kitchen cabinets there, and presto! The house is sold for big bucks and everyone lives happily ever after. If only it were that simple. Fixing and flipping houses is a business. In order for a business to survive, prosper, and grow, systems must be put in place. Fixing and Flipping Real Estate: Strategies for the Post-Boom Era is a book that breaks down the four essential components of a fix-and-flip business, giving you the building blocks to efficiently buy and sell 1 to 20 properties a month in today’s post-boom era housing market. You’ll learn about each of the boxes: Acquisition—How to find and buy a profitable real estate deal. Rehabbing—How to systematically remodel a house and how not to underimprove, or overimprove, your property. Sales—How to sell your flip for the highest possible price in the shortest possible time. Raising Capital—How to get the capital you need to grow your business, including using other people’s money, for your real estate deals without getting sued or going to jail. In the post-real estate boom era, fixing and flipping is again a solid business--especially in the “sand” states—Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, and Florida, among others. It’s also a good bet in states as diverse as North Carolina and Washington State. And with the real estate market projected to bottom out nationally in 2012 (this time for real), there are plenty of houses to be renovated and plenty of money to be made by the enterprising in all fifty states. This book shows real estate investors everything they need to know to get started fixing and reselling houses either as a substantial sideline or a full-on business.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WALL STREET JOURNAL BUSINESS BESTSELLER USA TODAY MONEY BESTSELLER "Tough times make or break people. My friend Gary teaches you how to make the tragic into magic. Read & reap from this great book." --Mark Victor Hansen, Co-creator, #1 New York Times best selling series Chicken Soup for the Soul Co-author, Cracking the Millionaire Code, The One Minute Millionaire, and Cash in a Flash.Author, Richest Kids in America "Real estate buyers and sellers have to SHIFT their mindset to new and more creative strategies in this challenging real estate market. This book shows them excellent ways to survive and thrive." --Robert Allen, author of the New York Times bestsellers Nothing Down, Creating Wealth, Multiple Streams of Income and The One Minute Millionaire. "Change happens. It's natural. It's ever present. It's reoccurring. So when markets shift you need to as well. No one explains this better in the real estate industry than my good friend Gary Keller and his team of talented co-authors. Their latest book, SHIFT, is perfect for all real estate professionals. It captures the very essence of a shifting housing market and what Realtors need to do to thrive therein. SHIFT will help you alter your focus and your actions to ensure that you get your head back in the game and increase your market share, irrespective of strong or weak market conditions. It's a great book – read it today." --Stefan Swanepoel, author of Swanepoel TRENDS Report, 2006-2009 "Need help weathering the storm in today's real estate market? If so, reach for Gary Keller's new book, Shift-- it's the lifesaver you need today to thrive tomorrow. Shift is rich in easy-to-understand strategies, charts, and illustrations that show you exactly what you need to do to thrive in today's very challenging and 'shifted' real estate market." --Bernice Ross, Inman News The Millionaire Real Estate Series More than 1,000,000 copies sold! SHIFTS happen... Markets shift, and you can too. Sometimes you'll shift in response to a falling market, and other times you'll shift to take your business to the next level. Both can transform your business and your life. You can change your thinking, your focus, your actions, and, ultimately, your results to get back in the game and ahead of the competition. The tactics that jump-start your business in tough times will power it forward in good times. No matter the market-shift! SHIFT explores twelve proven strategies for achieving success in any real estate market, including Master the Market of the Moment: Short Sales, Foreclosures, and REOs Create Urgency: Overcoming Buyer Reluctance Re-Margin Your Business: Expense Management Find the Motivated: Lead Generation Expand the Options: Creative Financing

A fully revised BusinessWeek bestseller that will help even beginning investors cash in on the 21st-century real estate boom.

"This is simply the best book on the topic.” —Randall Bell, Author, Home Owner's Manual "Tyson and Griswold have truly opened the world of real estate investing to all by tackling often complex issues in this easy to understand and use book. I can't think of a better way to get smart about building wealth through rental properties than to read their excellent Real Estate Investing For Dummies!" —Vern Hoven, CPA Non-prime time TV is cluttered with infomercials about how you can buy non-prime real estate for next to nothing and get rich quick. Common sense should tell you that’s an exaggeration. (If common sense doesn’t tell you, bankers will.) Nevertheless, it is possible to get rich gradually by investing in real estate. Long term, you can expect to realize an annual return of 8 to 10% a year. Real Estate Investing for Dummies gives you the keys to successful real estate investment, whether it’s in single family homes and condos, apartments, vacation homes, commercial properties (office, industrial, and retail), raw land, or REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts). With guidance from authors Eric Tyson, MBA, a financial counselor, and Robert S. Griswold, a veteran real estate investor, you’ll discover how to: Find and buy the best properties at a fair price Capitalize on opportunities such as foreclosures, no money down deals, auctions, tax sales, and more Secure financing and good mortgage terms Value, evaluate, and negotiate everything to do with real estate Work with agents and other professionals Project income potential and cash flow Handle contracts, inspections, and closings Whether you’re interested in a fixer supper for rental, premier office space you can lease, or a vacation home you can enjoy and rent, when you become a buyer, you also become a landlord. That means you can hear from tenants any time, night or day. It means you may not hear from them when the rent is due. Real Estate Investing for Dummies also helps you: Find and keep good tenants Negotiate lease agreements Insure and maintain your property Keep good records for tax and accounting purposes Remember, with any deal, you have to know when to hold them and know when to fold them. So Real Estate Investing for Dummies gives you guidelines on when and how to sell and how to reinvest to build wealth. It also lists 10 real estate investments you shouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole. Especially if you’re tempted by those late-night infomercials, that warning could save you a fortune!