“We would like to thank Sheri Hilton for her valuable service.

Sheri listened very carefully and treated us like her family, or a best friend. Finding our home was so easy!

We really appreciated Sheri's exceptional dedication in returning our phone calls and e-mails. We felt like she truly cared about our happiness and satisfaction.

We highly recommend Sheri to anyone who might need help with buying or selling their home.”

Thank You Very Much!

Sanjey & Joliene

“Sheri made selling my home a great experience and giving a down economy she still remained very positive and made every effort to show my home on the weekends. She was great at following up with agents that brought potential buyers.

She was very sincere in her service and respected me and my wishes in listing my home. I wasn't another client to her and always was available and easy to contact. ”

Monte

“My wife and I recently bought our first house with Sheri being our agent. She walked us through every step of the process and was very informative about it.

She definitely knows her stuff and is very pleasant to work with. We were very grateful to have had her expertise. Although we were overwhelmed, she kept us informed and at ease throughout the whole process.

Thank you! Sheri”

Juan & Andrea

“After the two failed attempts and lender rejections at getting approved for our own home, Chuck and I said forget it, hang it up; we are destined to be renters. Then I called Sheri.

If it wasn‘t for your strong encouragement to have no fear this year, that our trust, and faith must be bigger than our fear, now, we would not be closing this week and moving into our own new place. There were hurdles to get through with the transaction, and Sheri gave us steady and calm direction that we will overcome them. I was full of doubt and worry, because it didn‘t work before, and I learned I won‘t let fear of pursuing my dreams hold me back and stand in my way.

We are so happy, we don‘t know whether to cry or jump up and down. Thank you for that lesson.”

Stephanie & Chuck

“Sara and I really think that you have done an unexpected and exceptional job, and more than what we have ever imagined an agent could do in listing our home. You are a super agent!

We very much liked your lovely staging, re-arranging of furniture, photos and virtual tour. Thanks again for your continuous help, all your hard work to try to sell this house and support. I know that you are doing a more than excellent job to sell my townhome, including weekly open houses.

You are really going the extra miles to get this house sold. I'm very impressed!

Thanks for being on top of things; this is great!”

Hussein & Sara A.

“One-thousand thanks for helping us though some scary and uncertain times with losing our home. You held our hands throughout the whole process of the Short Sale, worked so hard marketing, advertising, and put in many long hours for months and months with no guarantee of lender approval or pay.

There were times we just wanted to give up, and you kept us going with faith, trust, belief and hope that it would happen. And it did! Against the odds, our short sale was approved! Now we can rebuild our lives and move on.

You are our number one agent! Each of our friends and family that we have referred to you have thanked us for introducing them to you.”

Mohamed G. & Eyerusalem B.

“I would like to thank Sheri Hilton for her valuable service.

In less than two weeks, Sheri found me a wonderful condo in Mukilteo where I can continue to grow my business, Karen's Alterations.

Answering all my questions and making sure that my needs were being met is a level of service that is rare to experience.

I highly recommend Sheri to anyone who might need help with buying or selling their home.”

Thank You Very Much,

Karen Myers

“Thank you once more for taking such good care of us. Everything is great; signed and done.

You are the greatest and have been such a great help.

This is our second purchase with you and we trust you to continue to take excellent care of us. You are so kind to me and helpful. And we are all very happy!”

Thank you once again!

Mai Ling & James M.

“You helped make our first purchase amazingly easy by giving us encouragement and guidance when we needed it.

Add to this that we were in the midst of getting married and then away on our honeymoon during the purchase you made it all work by helping to coordinate our inspection. Our friends and family are very happy that we have an honest, helpful and diligent real estate agent on our side.

Thank you for all your help and keeping us constantly updated with new developments, and working really hard to get this done.”

Sincerely,

Kevin & Tricia B.

“After shuffling around year after year, renting one place after another, you helped Steve and I get motivated and finally just go for it and have own place to call home.

Your no-pressure personality, confidence, positive energy and excellent negotiating ability, (which saved us thousands off the price, paid for our closing costs, and fixed any items on the inspection report) , was a major benefit.

You are a real Buyer‘s Advocate, watched out and protected us every step of the way (and thanks for putting up with us). My three older sons and daughters will be seeking you out soon to buy their first property.

Sheri, our thanks ~ with sincere appreciation and gratitude!”

Terese K. & Steve G.

How to make money in real estate investing

Lower Your Taxes

Tax incentives for real estate investors can often make the difference in your tax rates. Deductions for rental property can often be used to offset wage income. Tax breaks can often enable investors to turn a loss into a profit.

For which items can investors get tax breaks? You could claim deductions for actual costs you incur for financing, managing and operating the rental property. This includes mortgage interest payments, real estate taxes, insurance, maintenance, repairs, property management fees, travel, advertising, and utilities (assuming the tenant doesn't pay them). These expenses can be subtracted from your adjusted gross income when determining your personal income taxes. Of course, these deductions cannot exceed the amount of real estate income you receive. In addition to deductions for operating costs, you can also receive breaks for depreciation. Buildings naturally deteriorate over time, and these "losses" can be deducted regardless of the actual market value of the property. Because depreciation is a non-cash expense -- you are not actually spending any money -- the tax code can get a bit tricky. For more information about depreciation and various tax alternatives, ask your tax advisor about Section 1031 of the U.S. Tax Code.

Have a Positive Cash Flow

There are two kinds of positive cash flows: pre-tax and after-tax. A pre-tax positive cash flow occurs when income received is greater than expenses incurred. This sort of situation is difficult to find, but they are usually a strong and safe investment. An after-tax positive cash flow may have expenses that outweigh collected income, but various tax breaks allow for a positive cash flow. This is more common, but it is generally not as strong or safe as a pre-tax positive cash flow.

Regardless of what kind of real estate you choose to invest in, timely collections from your tenants is absolutely necessary. A positive cash flow -- whether it be pre-tax or after-tax -- requires rental income. Be sure to find quality tenants; a thorough credit and employment check is probably a good idea.

Use Leverage

One of the most important factors in determining a solid investment is the amount of equity you are purchasing. Equity is the difference between the actual worth of the property and the balanced owed on the mortgage.

Benefit from Growing Equity

While investing in real estate is relatively complex, it is often worth the extra work. When compared to other financial investments, like bonds or CD's, the return on investment for real estate purchases can often be greater.

The key to real estate investing is equity. Determine an amount of equity that you want to achieve. When you reach your goal, it's time to sell or refinance. Determining the proper amount of equity may require the assistance of a real estate professional.