Investing in real estate can be smart, lucrative, and an excellent way to diversify your portfolio. House prices are generally much less volatile than other assets. As a property owner, you may be able to take advantage of tax breaks.
If you want to become a serious real estate investor, a good long-term strategy is to buy property in a variety of areas. This will protect you from any unforeseen downturns in property prices.
Real estate investing is not a one size fits all. Different strategies will suit different people. It will depend on the capital you have, your goals, and what kind of timelines you are working on.
Buy and rent
Buying and renting real estate simply means buying a property that you will rent out to tenants. You can then either manage the property yourself or hire a property management company. The most common types of property that are purchased are townhouses, flats, or single-family houses.
Make sure you do some research into the area, to find out what are the most popular types of rental properties, and whether the rent will generate enough incoming cash flow. You also want to know what kind of amenities you should offer to make your property attractive. Be sure to screen any potential tenants carefully.
House flipping
This strategy may sound simple. Buy a house, fix it up, and flip. In order for this to work, you need to find a property that is undervalued. You can fix it up while living at the property, or you can find a second property that you are buying just for the purposes of house flipping.
You can only call this strategy a success if you are able to sell the property quickly. You will need to have access to affordable materials, builders and workers who will be able to provide good value, and a real estate agent who can sell properties quickly.
Buy and hold
This strategy is also known as rehabbing. It is a very common and very straightforward way to invest in real estate. You buy a rental property, preferably one that is under the market value. You hold it for a few years, earning monthly rent, and waiting for the property to appreciate in value.
You don’t need lots of experience to undertake this strategy. There will be professionals you can hire to do the bulk of the work for you. You can buy and hold for the short term, or for the longer term. When you sell the property, you can take the profit in cash, or reinvest it in another property.
House-Hack
Investing in rental property will probably require a large downpayment. House hacking is done by people who own their own home but don’t yet have the capital to buy another property. House hacking can simply mean renting out a spare bedroom. It could also mean converting part of your house into a self-contained flat.
You can use the extra monthly income to save up and purchase a property. This can be a great way to get started in real estate investment if you are on a budget.
Wholesaling
Wholesaling means that you find an attractive property and enter a contract to buy it. You then immediately hand over the contract to the buyer that you have already secured. You can then charge a premium for finding the desired property. You are basically the middleman, charging a finder’s fee.
This is not a passive way to make money. You need a variety of skills if you want to be successful. You must be able to find properties that are undervalued and have an established network of real estate investors ready to buy from you. You must be an effective buyer and seller.
Real estate note investing
Real estate note investing means that you don’t have to deal with buying, managing, or selling a property, but you can still make passive income. It involves focusing on the business side of real estate. When somebody buys a property but doesn’t have the capital to pay for it, they will sign a mortgage and a real estate note.
They will make a downpayment and sign a legally binding document to agree to pay the rest of the money over time. This is a promissory note or real estate note. Real estate note investing means that you buy the debt and its security instrument. You then become the lender and collect payments from the borrower. Usually, you would buy the real estate note at a discounted rate.
BRRR
This stands for buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat. This is a popular long-term strategy. It involves buying a property that is below market value. You then rehab it and rent it out. Finally, you refinance it and use the funds to repeat the process.
This is a good strategy for investors who have the time and knowledge to get hands-on. Having a network of trusted contractors and handypeople is essential.
REIT and REIG
An REIT (real estate investment trust) means that you invest in a real estate company. They will take care of everything for you. The real estate company will invest in properties that yield income and pass on profits to their shareholders. This can be a good way of making passive income.
An REIG is a real estate investment group. These are groups of private investors who pool their resources together to buy properties. Working with a real estate investment group can be a great way to learn about the industry. However, there can be very little governance or regulation, making it risky.
Crowdfunds
Crowdfunding brings together investors that have the same kinds of investment goals and ideas. You can use a real estate investment platform to connect with other investors. The platform will also give you information on projects that are available for investing in. This is a way to invest in real estate with less money.
In summary
It is important to learn about different real estate investment strategies if you want to diversify your portfolio. When you have an understanding of these strategies, you can choose the ones that fit your investment style. Real estate investment offers lots of opportunities for both active and passive income.
The above information does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation by London Loves Business and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making (or refraining from making) any investment decisions. Appropriate independent advice should be obtained before making any such decision. London Loves Business bears no responsibility for any gains or losses.
