Randy Hughes

Randy Hughes

Randy Hughes has been a full time real estate investor since 1969 and has purchased over 200 houses. He has lived the life of having nothing and will not let that happen again. Randy's primary goal now is to teach others how to break the cycle of poverty. Randy teaches real estate investment courses throughout the United States. He has written Privacy and Asset Protection books as well as home study courses. Randy's most popular publications are his Land Trust Made Simple home study courses and live seminars. Randy has written extensively for local and national real estate publications. He has taught real estate classes at the University of Illinois, Parkland College, and Elgin Community College. Randy has been a licensed Continuing Education Instructor for the Illinois Association of Realtors for 20 years. He also speaks to real estate investment clubs throughout the United States about the many benefits of using Land Trusts for privacy, asset protection, and profits. Randy Hughes, teaches classes on how to protect your assets and how to become more private with your personal life. He also teaches land trust law, authors the only Land Trust Newsletter and Blog in the country, is the founder of the Land Trust University, and is an expert author for REIClub.com & EzineArticles.com Blog. Randy Hughes has also authored the free report ""50 Reasons to Use a Land Trust"" for real estate investors.

    Randy Hughes's Articles

    • Land Trusts – The Power of Direction

      Many people (especially some attorneys) do not believe there are any benefits to using a Land Trust to hold title to your real estate investments. After 40+ years of investing in Single Family Homes (and using Land Trusts for 30 of those years) I have found that the practical (and often unforeseen) benefits to using a Land Trust are not always obvious.Using a Land Trust to hold title to your investments is like using a gun to protect yourself. Your adversary must ask, “Is the gun loaded?” If the gun is not loaded there may or may not be much…

    • Land Trust Taxes & Record Keeping

      Occasionally I am challenged on whether a Land Trust has to file a tax return or not. Some “professionals” insist that I am wrong when I say that a Land Trust does not file a tax return and does not obtain an FEIN number with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).Does a Land Trust Have to File a Tax Return?A Land Trust is a pass-thru entitiy in the eyes of the IRS, In fact, the IRS does not even consider a Land Trust to be a Trust at all…for tax purposes (see Revenue Ruling 92-105). According to IRS Code Section 677,…

    • Is It Honest To Use A Land Trust?

      I have been using Land Trusts for over 30 years, but every now and then someone will challenge me as to the purpose and “honesty” in using a Land Trust to hold title to real estate investments. Let’s clear the air.Recently I was talking to a real estate investment club owner about speaking to his club regarding land trusts. He said, “We do not believe in using Land Trusts because they are dishonest.” He then went on to explain how someone had come to his club and spoke about Land Trust and that led him to believe that the use…

    • Are There Too Many Lawyers in the United States?

      Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia recently said, “…there are too many lawyers in the United States…” He went on to say, “I do not mean to criticize lawyers, just the need for so many lawyers. Lawyers do not dig ditches or build buildings. When a society requires such a large number of its best minds to conduct the unproductive enterprise of the law, something is wrong with the legal system.”What does this have to do with real estate and using Land Trusts to hold title to investment real estate… a lot. I think that lawyers serve a valuable service to…

    • Using a Power of Attorney For Real Estate Investing

      A Power of Attorney (POA) is the written authority for an “agent” to act on behalf of someone else. This means that if you need to get something done while you are out-of-town or incapacitated in some way, you can still reach your goals.I have used a POA mostly for real estate transactions. Since I put each property into its own separate Land Trust, it is convenient to have a signed POA when my Trustee lives out-of-state. This is perfect investing tool for joint ventures, land trusts, wholesaling (in some cases) and partner deals.Since I use mostly Trustees from other states…

    • Why Use A Land Trust?

      Do you remember 1969? Probably not. You may have been born after 1969 and  did not find real estate as an investment until many years later. I remember the  year 1969 very well. It was the year in which I purchased my first rental house. I  was still in college and realized that I needed to break the cycle of poverty in my life.First, I decided to get more education than anyone else in my family. So, I went to  college and majored in business. While studying in college, I realized that most  people in America who became wealthy did it…

    • When Is The Lease Option Put Into A Trust

      Often times real estate investors have questions about Land Trusts & Lease Option Investing – and I often have answers!  We learn best from our peers and “on the job” training per se.Craig Warner, a real estate investor sent me the following questions regarding land trusts, lease options and working with his partner.  Thought is a great share for REIClub.com investors.Lease Option & Land Trust Investing Q&ACraig: When doing  a Lease Option when is this converted into a Land Trust? Reason why I am asking, doesn’t the Lease Option open the doors for a lawsuit to any party involved in…

    • REI Question: Is A Land Trust Legal In Your State?

      There are only six states that have an actual Land Trust statute (or case law recognition) and they are; Illinois, Indiana, South Dakota, Florida, Virginia and Hawaii. Does this mean if you do not live in one of these states (and own property in the same state) that you cannot form a Land Trust? Absolutely not!Does Your  State Have Land Trusts?Most states recognize the validity of a Land Trust and allow its citizens to form a Land Trust to hold title to property in their state. This is typically done “under the laws of the state of ________.” You can…

    • California Land Trusts

      California is a community property state, and in that respect it differs from others like Illinois and Florida. Illinois has land trust case law and Florida has land trust statute law. California has neither but recognizes the validity of the Land Trust nonetheless.California land trust property is not subject to Dower Rights, community property or other marital rights of beneficiaries. As a result, instruments dealing with title to property held in trust need NOT be signed by both spouses, only by the trustee. In a state where divorce is more popular than marriage, being able to continue to operate a…

    • Big Mess In Chicago With A Land Trust

      Several months ago a lady from Chicago called my office and wanted to talk about a big mess she was in with her mother’s property. In 1993 her mother and step-father formed a land trust to hold title to their residence in a Chicago suburb. They made the lady and her step-brother (who she has never met personally) successor beneficiaries.In 2002 the husband/step-father died and the mother hired a lawyer to create a Revocable Living Trust (RLT). The lawyer moved all assets over to the RLT, but failed to deed the property out of the land trust and into the…

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