I want to invest in property, but how do I do it and what is the best way to go about it. Here are a few options that you can choose from.
How To Invest In Property
Given the dynamics of the real estate sector at the moment, you should be doing your homework before you invest your hard-earned money into property. You need to make sure that your investment will be solid, even in a recession.
At one time, buying a house seemed simple enough for both buyer and seller. The buyer would go to the real estate office, chat with a real estate professional, ask about different properties and then visit the properties that look promising. If everything looked good, the sale was made.
Things are a little more complicated now. The real estate sector has been going southwards for some time now and buyers know that the market is in their favor.
Because buying real estate is about more than just finding a place to call home, prospective property investors should do all their research and look at all the factors involved before committing to any expensive mistakes.
So, If I Want To Invest In Property, How Do I Know What To Do?
Here are the different ways that the I want to invest in property person can look at, namely:
Basic Rental Properties
This is the practice of buying a property and then renting it out to a tenant.
You as the owner will be responsible for paying for the property as well as any taxes and costs that come with maintaining the property.
Furthermore, the property may appreciate in value over time, thus leaving you the landlord with a more valuable asset.
This doesn’t always ring true though, because according to the U.S. Census Bureau, real estate has consistently increased in value from 1940 to 2006, then proceeded to dip and rebound from 2008 to 2010. However, it has increased over time more than it has decreased.
There are unfortunately downsides to this model. You could end up with bad tenants who either don’t pay or damage your property. Also if you fail to get a tenant this will leave you with a negative cash flow, and you may battle to pay your bond.
There is also a considerable amount of time and work that you will need to devote to maintaining your investment. If the geyser breaks, you will need to fix it, even if it is in the middle of the night.
If this bothers you, you could always hire a property manager, but he or she will take a cut out of your rental each month.
If you are looking at investing in this model, then make sure you buy in an area where the vacancy rates are low and the area is one that people will want to live in.
Real Estate Investment Groups
I want to invest in property, but I don’t want all the hassles of being a landlord. If this is the case, then a real estate investment group may be just the solution for you.
This is where a company will buy or build a set of apartment blocks, flats or condos and then allow investors to buy them through the company and thus join the investment group.
A single investor such as yourself can own one or multiple units, but the company operating the investment group collectively manages all the units. This means that they take care of the maintenance, interviewing of tenants and even the finding of tenants. In exchange for this management, they will take a percentage of your monthly rental.
There are different ways in which these investment groups are run, but in most cases, the lease is in the investor’s name and all of the units pool a portion of the rent to guard against the occasional vacancy. this means that you will receive enough to pay the mortgage even if your unit is empty.
Make sure that you research the group if you are wanting to invest in property this way, and make sure that the investment group has the expertise and knowledge required to run the investment successfully.
In theory, if you are wanting to find out how to invest in property, this is quite a safe way to get your hands on a slice of the real estate action.
Real Estate Trading
How to invest in property using real estate trading is not for the faint-hearted.
Real estate traders buy properties with the intention of holding on to them for only a short period of time (three to four months) and then sell them again for a profit.
This is also known as flipping properties and to do this successfully, you would need to buy properties that are either undervalued or are in a very hot market.
To be successful in this technique, you would have to know exactly what you are doing and know what the markets are doing. This tactic is not recommended for the property investment beginner.
REITs
I want to invest in property, why not try REITs?
REIT stands for real estate investment trust, and it is created when a corporation or trust uses investors money to purchase and operate income-generating properties.
REITs, like stock, are bought and sold on the major stock exchanges.
A corporation must pay out 90% of its taxable income in the form of dividends to keep its status as a REIT.
By doing this, REITs avoid paying corporate income tax, whereas a regular company would be taxed its profits and then have to decide whether or not to distribute its after-tax profits as dividends.
Much like regular dividend-paying stocks, REITs are a solid investment for stock market investors that want a regular income.
REITs also allow investors into non-residential investments like malls or office buildings, which are highly liquid. You will find this one of the safest ways to invest in property in most cases.
So now that we have looked at how to invest in property, we have only scratched the surface, and even with these examples provided, there are countless variations of real estate investment.
There is much potential when it comes to investing in real estate, but like anything, it does not mean you have a guaranteed gain.
Before investing in property, make sure that you make a careful choice and weigh up all the costs and benefits of your actions before taking the plunge.
Do You Own A Real Estate Business?
If you are in the opposite market to the I want to invest in property one, you obviously having a physical address for your real estate business, which is great but do you have a Website?
By not having a Website you are leaving money on the table. We could also say by not having a Website, you are putting money into the real estate professionals that do have Website. If a real estate professional wishes to be successful and tap into all target markets and reach as many prospects as they can, then it is going to need a Website.
Today people want information and they are accustomed to getting this information online with a couple clicks. Why not give them what they want? OK, so you are not the first one to market real estate online, but do you really want to be the one who never takes advantage of the Internet? You have something to offer home buyers, so make sure they see everything you have to offer them.
Your goal at the end of the month is to make money. You want to make money through your business and leveraging the Internet is a smart way to bring in additional revenue. Once your Website is online you will need to spend some time developing it. Yes, there is work involved, but it is well worth it.
You want to make sure that your information is accurate, your images are clear and that the buyers have an easy way to contact you via your Website. Answering as many questions as you can online save the buyer and real estate professional time later on. There is no doubt that a real estate business can benefit hugely from having its own Website.
If you are interested in building a website for your business, you can do it the easy way. Click here for more information.
