While real estate has ups and downs, it has generally been a good long-term investment. Owning a home is one way of investing, but to really take advantage, you can buy property that you won’t necessarily occupy but will make you some money.
How Real Estate Makes Money
There are two basic ways. You can rent out your property, or you can sell it for more than you paid. The latter usually involves improving the property and then “flipping” it.
Before you start making offers on potential rental or flippable property, think about what you hope to accomplish. Are you going to be a landlord or a flipper? The two require different attitudes and skills. While it’s certainly possible to combine the two – to buy a building to fix up and rent, or to rent something you will eventually sell – most people focus on one or the other.
Getting Started
In either case, it’s wise to start small. You may aspire to own an entire apartment complex and rent to a building full of tenants, but it’s better to start out with a single unit and learn to meet the challenges of being a landlord. One hands-on way is to buy a duplex, live in one half and rent the other. If you’re a flipper, you might want to eventually manage a renovation team restoring houses all over town, but you’re better off to cut your teeth on just one.
If you’re a novice, you’ll want to buy locally, and you’ll need to understand real estate trends in your community. Which neighborhoods are changing for better or for worse? How are prices moving? Does the market favor buyers or sellers? Remember, locals trends can be different from national ones. What percentage of available rentals markets are occupied? If occupation rates are high, it’s easier to find and keep tenants.
You can scour local listings yourself, but you’ll do well to consult a real estate agent who understands the market and local rentals. It’s best to work with a banker and have financing in place before you start.
Be realistic about projecting your revenue and expenses. Renovations often cost more than you’d predict. Rental upkeep can be expensive. Eventually you’ll need to upgrade appliances and replace the roof.
If you’re going to be a landlord, decide how hands-on you can be. Can you make repairs yourself? Are you willing to locate tenants and deal with them on an ongoing basis? If not, hire a property management company to take care of day-to-day management.
Investing at a Distance
You don’t have to buy a property and take on the associated headaches to profit from real estate. A vehicle such as real estate investment trust (REIT) or crowdfunded real estate makes you a part-owner of a large real estate investment. Someone else selects and manages the properties. It’s similar to buying stock. You (and others) provide the money, accept the risk and potentially enjoy the profits.
About the Author
Rudden|Bobruska Team
Gary Rudden, Lisa Rudden, and Nick Bobruska
RUDDEN BOBRUSKA TEAM
What sets your team apart from other real estate teams?
There is no team out in the market that offers what we do. All of us are Realtors, but
we each have specialized roles, which make our team so unique!
After decades of living and selling real estate in the DMV, we have established
ourselves as one of the top real estate teams with our market expertise and
cutting-edge technology. Our savvy high-tech marketing is on every website
and social media source. We have a huge network with other top agents, which
helps to premarket homes and discover homes for buyers before they reach the
open market. Our services include professional in-house staging services, broker
expertise in negotiating and navigating contracts, and buyer representation in all
price ranges. Each client has different needs and we create a marketing plan based
on those needs.
Our most distinct feature is our in-house construction and renovation team. We
are literally a full-service, one-stop shop when selling or buying a home!
How does the in-house construction and renovation team work?
All work is managed and completed through our licensed and bonded construction
crew. No need to call outside contractors. We are like “HGTV,” but we just don’t
have a show! Whether it’s a small makeover or a major renovation, we do it all. Our
sellers love this aspect of our team because we make preparing your home for the
market so seamless. Our buyers love the advice and insight we can give for future
renovations and repairs.
Having a licensed Maryland Home Improvement contractor as part of our team
along with the knowledge, experience, commitment and services that we offer, truly
puts our team as a vanguard in the real estate industry.