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Things to remember when investing in real estate

November 2nd, 2009 CheapFlatsLondon No comments

In the last couple of years real estate investment has taken a huge beating. With the markets crashing in most parts of the US and in some parts of the UK, the general mood is grim, as far as real estate is concerned. In almost all parts of the world, home sales have slowed to a snail’s pace and value of properties has plunged like never before. The cause is not helped by climbing mortgage rates either.

A good majority of investors are therefore staying away from investing in real estate. Understandable, but a tad overcautious?

It would seem so.

The financial downturn has its benefits. For instance, if you are a buyer in this market, chances are you will make a handsome profit because it is a buyer’s market out there. For one thing, rates have crashed. So, anyone making a buy today can be assured that they are buying when rates have bottomed out. Secondly, most sellers have come down from their high horses and are willing to sell if they get a genuine buyer with a reasonably good offer. Some are even ready to sell if they break even. So, if you have the money, there’s no reason to hold yourself back.

But there are a number of things you need to remember before investing in real estate.

Real estate is not the stock market. You cannot expect to play it for short term profits. In the past, people have invested in property and flipped it for handsome profits. But that bubble has popped and it is anybody’s guess when things will be as they were before. So, play in real estate only if you are in it for the long run.

The second rule in real estate investing is to always, always be prepared for the deal. Many people buy as a direct result of knee jerk reactions to all the bad news they hear. That’s the natural thing to do when sources around you are pushing nothing but volatile pieces of news. But a wise investor needs to be objective and dispassionate in their decision.

The best way to achieve objectivity is to collect as much information as possible. Every investor needs a systematic and disciplined approach to the investment process and must act in keeping with a grand plan of events.

Another important thing to remember in real estate investing is to keep your risks proportionate to your ability to absorb these risks. Make an investment only when you are financially capable of it. For instance, a person who is accumulating assets can take higher risks than, say, a retiree.

For someone looking for an opportunity to invest in real estate, the sky is really the limit. As the economy picks up and growth begins to make itself felt once again, the wise can make huge profits. However, the bottom line is that investing in real estate is a huge risk. You can win only if you utilize and take advantage of superior research, planning and high quality financial planning

Pros of investing in real estate

November 2nd, 2009 CheapFlatsLondon No comments

If you notice only 5 percent North Americans are financially independent till they reach retirement age. Remaining 95 percent are independent on friends and families to fulfill their needs. If you don’t want to face problems in your retirement age the best solution would be to invest in real estate. If you invest in real estate in a right way, it can be very profitable and an exciting adventure, but if you do it wrong, you may end up with a huge mess. Some major advantages of investing in real estate are as follows:Appreciation: By investing in real estate you will notice that their will be a steady increase in the value of your house or land. This appreciation is due to overwhelming demand for real estate. One of the main reasons for investing in real estate is to satisfy basic human need i.e. shelter. Leverage: Leverage the use of borrowed funds to finance the purchase of asset leverage basically allows you to use other people’s money to buy more properties. Leverage allows investors to earn a higher return on their equity. Make this kind of purchase with the help of your company’s 401 (k) program or buying stocks in the stock market. Tax savings:If you buy right property at the right time at a good price and manage it properly and also your rental properties generate a positive cash flow you can take advantage of tax write offs including depreciation. For example: if your property generates $1000 a month and positive before tax cash flow you would pocket $12,000 a year. Also assume if your depreciation amount is nearly $15,000 the same year. You can get double benefits, you can show a paper loss of nearly $3000 and you can avoid paying taxes on the $12,000 gain for that year. Freedom:If you invest in real estate you require less commitment when compared to other business. If you invested in a software company, consulting firm, coffee shop or bakery you have to spend long hours to achieve success. Real estate investing can be done without too much interference with your current job. Most of the real estate work is done in the beginning when doing research and property selection. Once you have purchased a house or apartment, you just have to just call property Management Company.Pride of Ownership:One important aspect of real estate investing is that you should physically own a building and are responsible for people’s shelter. Unlike owning a stock, whose value may decrease if stock market crashes, real estate investment may make you happy as the value of property will only increase and you can physically go stand in front of and look at and say this is yours. One major advantage of investing in real estate is it is easy to conclude that very few if any other investments can match it.

Multiple things to be noticed before investing in real estate

November 1st, 2009 CheapFlatsLondon No comments

There cannot be two opinions that investing in real estate can be a fabulous method for creating wealth. There are multiple ways to invest in real estate. But it is better to confine your interests to one particular segment and stay focused. It can be starter homes, foreclosures, houses, low down payment properties, condominiums, small apartment buildings etc.So real estate business is an awesome business. In general people who are equipped with the necessary knowledge and continuously in touch with the market trends and have the necessary contacts are able to earn huge money by investing in real estate – despite market fluctuations. It is common knowledge that investing in real estate market carries far less risk than many other forms of investments.Economy plays a crucial role in determining the value of real estate. Because when there is economy recession, then the value of the property comes down. When number of properties offered in the real estate market is selling fast and at high prices, then it is an indicator that the real estate market trend is on the upswing.If your intention of investing is a rapid growth of money, then you can opt for adding value to real estate investment. Renovating or making physical improvements or adding additional built area – are all ways to increase the market value of the property. It is prudent to buy property that is in need of repairs at a nominal or below market price. You should be vigilant and be on the look-out for sellers who desperately want to dispose of the property. In all such transactions, you can assuredly make a windfall profit. If you are a skilled negotiator, your profit can even shoot up further. Buying foreclosed homes is another way to buy a house at a below market price. When the house owner is unable to meet the mortgage payments, for whatever reason, then the lender will foreclose the property in order to get his money back. In such circumstances, the lender takes over legal possession of the foreclosed home and goes in for a quick sale. A foreclosure is a home that has been repossessed by the finance company or a bank that lent the original loan amount for buying it. The bank or the lending institution does not want to indefinitely hold onto these homes, as they usually cost them money, so they opt for a foreclosure to get back the money.  The one important thing in real estate investment is not to get emotionally or sentimentally attached to any property. Bear in mind that you are only an investor and not buying a home where you are going to reside with your family. If you have the required financial resilience and market knowledge, you can make handsome gains by buying land and then building houses. One of the best scenarios is to buy enough land to build and sell finished houses or apartments at fancy prices. In a nutshell, sound real estate investment means a well-conceived investment strategy and making informed decisions about price, location and market trends. There are quite a few proven methods of investing in real estate that can generate wealth for you. In the real estate investment business the right tools are thorough knowledge of the market, adequate financial resources, the ability to decide what and when to buy/sell etc.

Starting to Invest in Real Estate

October 24th, 2009 CheapFlatsLondon No comments

If you’ve been thinking about starting to invest in real estate, but haven’t taken any substantial steps toward taking the plunge, you’re not alone. There are many people who would like to get started, but continuously put it off for one reason or another. Most people, however, are intimidated by the thought of getting involved with something that seems so obscure and complex.

Many only purchase one house during their entire lifetime, and even this is being generous, since there are some who never purchase a real estate. It is likely that this line of thinking causes some to procrastinate beginning real estate investing. If you want to make progress towards your goal, you must first put aside everything that is hindering you from making the first step.

The first thing you need to do is figure out what has been keeping you from starting to invest in real estate. Once you know this underlying reason, you can begin taking the necessary steps to become more comfortable with it.

There are some obstacles that are common among new investors. Lack of training and understanding is the most prevalent one. If you feel like you don’t understand the world of real estate investing well enough to make a start, then you can at least take steps to familiarize yourself with the components you do not understand. There are a number of resources available, both online and offline, to provide you with the information you need. You can purchase books, use the internet, or attend a training event to get more information. There are also quite a few online networking boards and forums, which are full of information targeted towards new investors. Not to mention, by utilizing these types of sites, you might meet someone that would be interested in mentoring you.

Another reason that many people are afraid to take the first step is because they feel they do not have the cash necessary to get started. One thing you should understand is that there are many ways you can get started without having substantial amounts of your own money to throw around. In fact, many experienced investors will tell you that you should never put any of your own money into a deal. There are many creative real estate investing techniques you can use so that you never have to come up with the cash yourself. The best thing you can do is properly research these techniques to learn more.

One way of getting started with real estate investing without much risk is to first work as a bird dog. Essentially, a bird dog is someone who informs other real estate investors about investing deals. The investor then pays the bird dog a referral fee once the deal has closed. Being a bird dog gives you experience with locating investing deals. Once you are comfortable with locating deals, you can then begin closing the deals yourself.

Getting started in real estate investing is not as easy as it first may seem. If it was, everyone would be doing it. There are a lot of details that make many new investors weary of even getting involved. If you first figure out the aspects of investing that cause you to be fearful, and then work on settling those issues, it will make the process much easier.

Investing In Real Estate Made Simple

October 23rd, 2009 CheapFlatsLondon No comments

Investments are supposed to be everyone’s consideration in life if you need to make money. In the case of long term investments, very few choices are available which can rival real estate investing. Long term investments have been known for their good pay backs. This can be better demonstrated by the fact that the world’s population is ever growing with the passing of time and the need for better places to live in is also on the rise. The job now is to get a property to invest in which is appropriate, after which your can start to work out means of achieving your dreams. To make a good real estate investment, you have to plan very carefully. This means that you have to get all the information that is available about investment. The real estate investments are not cheap therefore you should be aware of what you are getting yourself into. Never rush into making any decisions about investing because this may be very costly at the end. When you have all the information, you are now able to make a good decision regarding the amount of money that you are ready to put into the investment. It is at this stage when you decide the method of payment that you use. This includes loans, mortgages, credit or private financing.The other good strategy is writing down your investment plan. You will need to know before hand the amount of money and time to put aside for this investment. You will also need to be fully committed to this project for it to be a success. Identify the short term and long term goals which you wish to achieve by entering into such an investment. When purchasing a home make sure you are well aware of the various aspects that are involved in the process. This includes the plumbing, heating systems and electrical fittings for your home. This can even help you to get a better deal when you are making your investment. If the house that you buy needs some repairs, you should negotiate for a lower price because you will need to make some changes which will cost you money.Visit a website that lists available properties for sell when you are trying to find out the prices and the taxes which apply. Find a good accountant who is well versed on issues concerning taxes and the laws governing such investments in that are. The accountant may also offer investment advice.