Showing posts with label Renting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Renting. Show all posts

Saturday, January 28, 2012


Investments can be a great way to get ahead, and more and more people are jumping into the market of buying investment property. However, this decision should not be taken lightly. If certain tricks of the trade are ignored, you might find yourself deeper in debt than before. There is a lot to gain from buying property to either flip or hold and rent. That said, first time investors should consider buying for the long term, as this is generally more of a sure thing than a short term flip strategy.

Factors to Consider When Buying Investment Property


By A. Kappauf

Investments can be a great way to get ahead, and more and more people are jumping into the market of buying investment property. However, this decision should not be taken lightly. If certain tricks of the trade are ignored, you might find yourself deeper in debt than before. There is a lot to gain from buying property to either flip or hold and rent. That said, first time investors should consider buying for the long term, as this is generally more of a sure thing than a short term flip strategy.

First and foremost, take a look at the numbers. You want to make sure that the monthly rental income will cover all of the property expenses such as property taxes, insurance, financing, repairs and maintenance, and everything else. When you analyze the numbers, remember to be conservative with any estimates you make, and always bake in a 10% vacancy rate. If the property appears to be cash flow positive on a monthly basis, you can continue on with the due diligence process.

The second thing to consider when buying property is the location. Location is everything, and the general rule of thumb is to buy rental properties in the best neighborhoods you can afford. The neighborhood will determine the type of tenant you can expect, as well as the amount of rent that can be charged. Another aspect of the neighborhood relates to fixer uppers, and the degree to which you make the necessary improvements. Avoid improving a property so much that it is far better than the surrounding homes on the block. Keep the home comfortable and user friendly. People will choose the neighborhood for a reason, so make sure the home is fixed up to fit in.

Another tip is when looking at potential houses to buy, look at the property for what it could be, instead of what it is. Spot the potential of the property and keep the renovations at a reasonable level. Make sure that the vision is reasonable for the labor that is needed to be done, and the price of the needed materials. Remember that hiring professionals to do the labor can help to assure things are done correctly the first time -saving money for things that may need to be fixed later. Hiring professionals shouldn't be taken lightly, either. Make sure all references are checked out to ensure that all your contractors have the experience and qualifications to do the job appropriately and in full compliance with municipal codes.

Once all the hard work is done and the home is ready for a tenant, make sure that a screening process is used. Run a credit check, call old landlords and references, and verify income and employment. After all the sweat and money that was poured into the property, it's only natural to want to keep it from being destroyed by deadbeats.

The bottom line is that buying a property requires a fair amount of due diligence. Do the homework that goes with being a great property investor, and also read up on landlord and tenant rights. It's one of the most important steps in protecting the investment. Study eviction processes, and understand all the laws to help keep the profits flowing for the long haul.

Visit free-rental-property-investing-info.com for free landlord forms, tools, and no-hype educational info focusing solely on investing in rental properties. Browse topics like how to find good landlord insurance, how to remove PMI, how to buy property, and much more.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A._Kappauf
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Saturday, January 21, 2012

4 Important Reasons Why People Prefer To Stay In Rental Properties



In this article, I have shared the 4 main reasons why people in United States like to stay in houses for rent. Every single individual in United States prefer to stay in houses for rent.

4 Important Reasons Why People Prefer To Stay In Rental Properties


By Sharon Cooper Lee

In United States, in previous year i.e. in 2011, it has been seen that, the demand of rental homes were increased like anything and many Americans were not at all interested in buying the properties. So this year also i.e. in 2012, the scenario will almost be the same.
There are several reasons why people in United States prefer to stay in rental homes and over here, below I am sharing the top most 4 reasons that makes people to stay in a rental property.
4 Main Reasons Why People Like To Stay In Homes For Rent
1) It Is Affordable:
Homeownership is the dream of every single American. But if we think practically, then to buy the own house is not the cup of tea for everyone. Why I am telling so, because it is very expensive to buy the house in United States. Hence, many people over there simply avoid to buy a property and they opt for the home rentals because it very economical.
So people are doing right thing, that they are not buying a property keeping in mind their financial conditions. To stay in rental houses is a great decision from financial point of view. So that's why, more and more people in United States select house rentals for staying as it less expensive.
2) No Maintenance And Repairs Expenses:
When you purchase your own house then it is quiet natural that all the expenses of your home, you have to pay. Every time if something breaks in your house, then you have to do expenses in order to repair it properly. So to own a house is really very costly and these kinds of expenditures will make your pockets empty.
But if you renting a home, then these types of expenditures will be paid by your homeowner. As a tenant, you need not to pay any kind of maintenance and repairs expenses. So due to this benefit, almost every American loves to stay in house rentals.
3) Tenants Insurance Is Very Affordable:
Tenants insurance is very much cheaper as compared to homeowners insurance. So due to this reason people give high priority to rental properties.
4) Tenants Can Easily Change Their Location When They Want:
Well, suppose if you are a homeowner and you have to change your location then first of all you have to sell your home and then only you will able to move to other area. You never know when your home going to sold, it may take some time because these days everyone gives more preference to rental houses and many individuals are not at all interested in buying a property.
But if you are a tenant and you are migrating to other location for a job or for some other purpose, then comfortably you can change your location and that too very easily. Just you have to inform your homeowner that's it. So because of this, rental properties have gained higher popularity among the Americans.
So due to all these reasons, the demand of rental homes has been reached on peak.
In coming days, the popularity of duplex for rent, single family home rentals and apartment rentals will be rising more and more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sharon_Cooper_Lee
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Saturday, January 14, 2012

How to Buy Your First Rental Property



Property exterior - villa for sale near Barcel...
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How to Buy Your First Rental Property


By A. Kappauf

Due to the present economy and the low prices on homes, the time to buy rentals could not be better. 99.9% of everyone interviewed who has rental properties say that there are some headaches that come with renting out properties, however, they all added that the positive aspects of having rental properties far outweighs these headaches. Now the question is how does one go about getting into this type of business?

The most important first step to real estate investing is to explore why you want to do this. What is your primary goal? Is the goal to pay off debt? Is the goal to bring in income to live off of during your retirement years? Is the goal money for college? There are many reasons why you might want to be a real estate investor, and whatever the reason, you must understand and stay focused on this goal. As stated above, it is not always going to be smooth sailing, but if you keep focused on the goal at hand, it will help you get through some of the hard times as they arise.

English: AmeriFirst Home Mortgage logo
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The next step is to figure out how you are going to actually buy the rental property. Although many people put in an offer and then try to find financing, it is much more efficient to visit a mortgage broker or lending institution and get pre-qualified for a loan. Find out in advance how much they are willing to loan you, and what the down payment requirement is. This will allow you to have a general idea of your targeted price range, which will save you time because you can simply ignore properties that are too expensive for your financial position. A good rule to remember is that if you can put at least 20% down you have a better chance of obtaining the loan.

Next, decide on your location. Make sure that the area you have chosen has growth potential. If not, then go look at another area. There are many issues to consider in this step, such as, is it possible to change the rental property from a single to multiple dwelling property? Like I mentioned previously, there are many foreclosed homes at this time that are selling below market value, so you must always ask yourself if a given property can be purchased at a bargain price. You will also want to consider whether or not you going to able to increase the rent annually, as well as the impact that small improvements might have on the property values within the neighborhood.

The final step is to get a good real estate agent and start checking out actual properties. Your agent will send you MLS listings, which you can then run the numbers on to see which ones make financial sense. You can then have your agent schedule physical property showings for those listings in which the preliminary numbers look good. Also, get in the habit of always soliciting feedback from your agent, as he or she will ideally have a lot of experience. Your agent can give you good tips on the best locations, as well as property pitfalls to avoid. Good luck and happy investing!

Visit free-rental-property-investing-info.com for free landlord forms, tools, and no-hype educational info focusing solely on investing in rental property. Browse topics like how to find good landlord insurance, how to buy property, how to be an effective landlord, and much more.

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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Lesser Known Real Estate Investments

English: Fountain Hills, Arizona, USA Français...
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Lesser Known <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_estate" title="Real estate" rel="wikipedia"><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_estate" title="Real estate" rel="wikipedia">Real Estate</a></a> <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/metric/<a class=" zem_slink"="" title="Investment" rel="wikipedia">Investments</a>" title="Investments" rel="wikinvest">Investments
Lesser Known Real Estate Investments

By Juhlin Youlien
Ever since the 1940's the world of real estate has consistently seen small but steady increases in value each year. Real estate is a legal term for property possessed by an individual as part of their "estate" that is "real" or tangible and is fixed like the land, the landscape, the fencing and other permanent fixtures. Because real estate has been a dependable asset, more and more investors have invested part of their portfolio in real estate. The most common type of investment is buying rental property. Renters pay a rent to live in property owned by the investor and they usually will pay enough for the owner to pay the mortgage, the taxes, the repairs, and other home expenses. Although renting is the most common and popular form of real estate investing, it is not the only.

A solid way to try and down play the negative side of renting, which is a lot of one on one contact with the tenants, doing the repairs, finding renters to fill a vacancy, is to be part of a investment group. A real estate investment group is a group of investors who want to be involved in the property world but do not want to have the usual negative side of renting. The group is a company that will pool the investors money and then buy a block of homes, condos and apartments and divide the properties up fairly according to the share that the different investors invest. The return is cumulative so even if one of the condos that is under the investors name is vacant, the money will still be delivered to the investor. The groups company will be in charge of the repairs, the renting out of vacancies and the other detailed work management must do.

Another type of investor is the property trader. Trading in property can be a risky venture. Trading real estate is comparable to a stock market day trader who is mostly gambling that stocks they buy low will increase during the day and that stocks they short sale on will lose value during the day. This is opposite from any investor who wishes to make money in the long run. A real estate trader is someone who buys a home or land with the intention of selling it quickly. They are called flippers because they flip a home. Flipping is only successful when a home is purchased that is greatly undervalued and can be resold at a high price. It also works when the market is extremely good and the prices are increasing by the day and month. The problem comes when the two scenarios don't pan out and the investor is committed to an expensive enterprise and they have no way of getting out of it and are sunk by the fact that they do not have long term ability to make mortgage payments and keep the house a float. The other type of trader are those who buy homes that are by no means over priced and they renovate them and fix them up and then resale them at a higher price and make money.

This article is brought to you by Juhlin Youlien who writes articles about Paradise Valley AZ homes and Fountain Hills Real Estate. Paradise Valley real estate is the premier real estate in Arizona.


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Sunday, February 14, 2010

Six Rules When Buying an Investment Property

Big single-family homeImage via Wikipedia

Six Rules When Buying an Investment Property


By Mark A Walker

Investing in properties is a good way to make money and build up your net worth. It is a very safe option of getting rich over the long term, as real estate values generally increase over time. However, returns are not very fast and you have to wait for considerable time before you make substantial money from real estate. To make the most of your investment into real estate, follow the six simple rules below.

1. Use Your Expertise and Knowledge

When purchasing investment property, look into your areas expertise and knowledge. Do you know about vacation homes, single-family homes, multi-family buildings, or commercial properties? You should know how and when to sell the property to earn the highest returns. If you are unaware of all rules and regulations relating to that property type, you may not be able to sell the property at a high profit.

2. Study Your Options

It is not essential to sell an investment property immediately after purchase. You can hold on to your investment until real estate values increase and then sell the property. Sometimes, it is best to bide your time and wait for real estate booms to sell and earn good profits on your investment. Another opportunity is to make suitable renovations and sell the property at an escalated price to earn very good returns. Property values increase over time and net worth of your investment increases. You can invest in real estate to receive a regular income from rent while you are waiting for property values to rise.

3. Consider the Benefits of the Location

Purchase your investment property in an area experiencing higher growth than other local areas. Inspect properties in different areas and choose those that satisfy necessary requirements. If you plan to invest in the property for several years, look into how the area will develop in the next few years and whether you can receive desired returns. You should have sufficient foresight and knowledge of the area.

Visit local councils and research what developments are happening in the vicinity in the near future. Drive around and scout for development and other area investments. Check the property is located near essential amenities like schools, hospitals, banks, transport, and supermarkets.

4. Reflect on Rental Demand

Your investment property yields good returns if there is sufficient rental demand for the property. Renters should be interested in renting the property. Normally, rental demand is high in densely populated areas like cities. Countryside locations do not have high demand and rental income could be substantially less.

5. Buy Property for Less than the Current Value

If you want to make money from real estate investing, choose properties that are being sold for less than the current market value. These properties may not be in the best shape and condition, so plan to incur repair and renovation costs. Before buying, hire a renovation consultant or home inspector to evaluate the cost of all repairs and renovations. Decide on the purchase price after deducting all additional costs. Ensure you can make a good profit when you sell the property after the renovation is complete.

6. Gather Financial Support

Investment property purchase requires strong financing. You may not be able to pool the entire cost, so consider the options for property loans. Assess all your mortgage options, so that you do not have excessive burden of repayments. If you are renting the property, apply the rent directly to the mortgage. Select a mortgage that can be repaid from the sale of property without additional fees or penalties for early repayment, especially if you plan to resell the property quickly.

Real estate investing for profit is a good option to earn money if you are an educated real estate investor. Investing in real estate is wise and can give even conservative investors high returns in the long-term. Renting the property while waiting for the best time to sell will increase your current income and cover the mortgage repayment costs.

Real estate is a complicated market. Even more so thanks to economic slips and slides.

The best way to survive it is to save thousands buying a home. We've got the ultimate inside scoop on http://www.EdmontonHomesBlog.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_A_Walker


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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

What Are The Top 3 Real Estate Investing Strategies?

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Real Estate Investment Methods



What Are The Top 3 Real Estate Investing Strategies?


By Eric Mabo

There is a lot of information out there about real estate investing strategies. This information can be sometimes confusing, because it is never really clear what the best investment strategies are. This article focuses more on the best strategies that will work in the current real estate market. This is a biased market skewed more towards buyers. There are many homes for sale out there, however, they have very few people currently looking for a home to buy. Therefore, every investor in the market today needs to use those strategies that are most likely going to succeed in this market. He or she needs to focus more on strategies that are most likely to attract buyers or renters to their properties. Here are the 3 best options.

  1. Buying for long-term hold: this involves buying a property with the intention of renting it out for several years prior to selling the property. They real estate investor in the situation looks for homes that have been deeply discounted, buys these homes, and then turns around and rents them out with positive cash flow. Their goal here is to make at least $200 a month after paying all of the expenses, which include the mortgage payment on the home, taxes, insurance and any other expenses related to maintaining the property. The advantage of using this strategy is that the tenants end up paying down the mortgage for the landlord. The home builds equity with time and is eventually owned free and clear by the landlord after several years of renting the property. The key here is to buy the property at a discounted price and rent it out with positive cash flow.
  2. Buying for short-term flip: this involves buying a property at a great discount with the intention of selling it right away for a quick profit. The investor here buys the property with at least a 30% equity. He or she then turns around and sells the property to another investor leaving a 10 to 20% equity for the new owner. This is called wholesaling. (See Flipping the Contract or Wholesale Real Estate Investing) This strategy used to be very popular a few years ago. It is still being used today but it's not as popular as before. The key here is to buy the property only after you have already located a buyer. The best way to do this is to build an e-mail list of potential buyers. Another option is to borrow a list from someone else. Here is the step-by-step process: you build an e-mail list or you locate the list owner, now you locate a property with significant equity, you collect details about the property and send out an e-mail to your list, you now close on the deal and then turn around and sell it to the end buyer for a profit.
  3. Using the lease purchase as an exit strategy: in this situation, you are buying a property with the intention of renting it out for one or two years prior to selling it. The first step here is to buy a property at a discount. You then locate a buy/renter who signs two agreements: the first is a lease agreement for 1-2 years, the second agreement is an option agreement. The buyer has the option to actually close on the deal within one or two we years. The investor cashes out at the end of the option agreement. The advantage of using this strategy is that you get very good tenants who actually take care of the property while paying a higher than usual rent. Thus you get positive cash flow and you serve the property at a huge profit within one to two years. The Investor also gets a good downpayment for the option agreement. So you make money up-front, during the 1-2 year lease term, and finally cash out a huge profit ($25-50K on a home selling for less than $200K). This is one of the best investing strategies in the current market.










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Monday, November 9, 2009

Real Estate Investment Analysis, decideing if a property is a good investment.

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Real Estate Investment Analysis




Deciding if a property is a good investment


Real Estate Investment Analysis allows you to quickly avaluate and compare several potential investment properties and decide which one is for you. It will help you decide if a particular property is the right investment for you.

Using figures you can easily find you can quickly determine the financial plusses and minuses related to a partilcular piece of property.

Real Estate Investment Analysis is firstly understanding the income and expenditure related to a particular investment property.

INCOME: Rental income is generally the first and only income stream most investors consider for an investment property. However in addition to the rental income you gain from an investment property your situation may warrant considering the capital gains as income.

I believe it's better not to sell...
Hint: When you want cash, consider refinancing your real estate investments - see RETIRING USING YOUR GROWING PROPERTY INVESTMENT EQUITY BASE and if you keep your real estate investment properties you are not selling your retirement plans. You will need to consult an accountant to find the details of how you can declare capital gains as income but the general principles are out lined in this article: MAKE THE MOVE FROM HOBBY TO PROFESSIONAL INVESTOR

EXPENSES: There are two general types of costs (EXPENSES) associated with owning an investment property: interest costs and holding costs.

Income - Rental Return


The first thing you need to understand about rental return on an investment property is that verbal estimates by real estate sales people can be very misleading. That being said the way to determine a better idea of the real potential rentl return that a property might bring is to find out what similar prperties are renting for in the same area.

How to Calculate Rental Return


Rental return is calculated as a ratio against buying price. A rule of thumb calculation for rental return that many real estate imvestors use as a quick comparison is as follows:




Gross Annual Rent /
Total Purchase Price

expressed as a percentage




For more detail on calculating rental return, see How to Calculate Rental Return On a Real Estate Investment
For example if you purchased a rental property for $300,000 and were renting it out for $300 per week then your rental return would be calculated as follows:





(300 * 52) = $15,600 /
$300,000

(times 100 to express as a percentage) = 5.2%





I have found that if the resulting figure is in the vicinity of 6% or over you are in good shape. In the example above the rental return is a little on the low side but not by very much, so if other factors are positive there is a good chance that you will soon be getting above 6% just because of the normal increases in the rent you can acheive for this property.



For example just say that the next year the rent goes up by 15% then you are receiving $345 per week. In which case your return would be 6%. From that point on you are in a very healthy financial position with this property.




(345 * 52) = $17,940 /
$300,000

(times 100 to express as a percentage) = 6%





Expenses


In terms of analysing a real estate investment a percentage of purchase or advertised price as a factor to get a ball park figure for how much it will cost to own and run that property. The first thing to do is determine the interest cost per year by multiplying the advertised price by the interest rate you would be paying.

Then find the estimated running costs by multiplying the annual rent received by an expense factor, (you may need to ask your agent or another knowledgeable investor for what applies in your local area.

Real Estate Investment Analysis Example


An example of how real estate investment analysis gives you useable decision making data will make this much clearer:

See this page for a fuller example:

Real Estate Investment Analysis Example

Return from Real Estate Investment Analysis
To Real Estate Investment Methods Page
Or go to Freedom Steps With Property Investing





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Monday, August 10, 2009

Real Estate Investors & The Importance of Knowing Your Exit Strategies

Bangalore Properties - Real Estate India - Ste...Image by nancyarora2020 via Flickr



By Chris Parks


Real Estate Investors are often tasked with knowing his/her exit strategies before getting into a particular situation. It is important to remember that exit strategies will be different depending on what type of investing you plan on doing.

One particular difference is whether you are planning on holding a property long term (as a rental) or if you are planning on making money as soon as possible.

If a property has little or no equity, holding long term will generally give you more options then if you are looking for short term exit strategies. And then it depends on how much the mortgage is vs. how much you can get for rent and how much your expenses are. Also, how much money you are willing to spend and whether or not you are willing to go negative in terms of cash flow (which I do not recommend, but know many investors who will).

If you are looking to get in and out of a property quickly, then properties with little or no equity would not be the way to do it unless you or investors you know work short sales or are interested in buy/hold like I explained in the previous paragraph. If this is the case then you can pick up bird-dog fees all day long by referring these types of properties to real estate investors who are looking for them.

Always ask around at your local REIA meetings to see which real estate investors are buying properties with little or no equity and find out what exactly they are looking for.

A property with a lot of equity generally gives investors the most options, especially if it needs work and provided the seller needs (not wants) to get rid of it. Of course a real estate investors' overall purchase criterion needs to look at more than just equity.

There are a lot of different ways to make money in Real Estate. You can bird-dog properties, wholesale properties and/or rehab them as well. Investors often make the most money rehabbing properties from sellers who need to sell. Many of these types of properties can be major fixer-uppers, or condemned properties that have equity.

As a rehabber, the very bottom line for quick-cash is this:
  1. Buy low
  2. Improve
  3. Price it to sell quickly (especially in today's market)
  4. Deposit your money


That being said of the three, rehabbing is not the quickest way to profit and by far much more involved. Real Estate Investors who know his/her exit strategies before putting any property under contract will have the most flexibility and thus the most choices.


About the Author:

Chris Parks is a member of a small group of Real Estate Investors and Entrepreneurs who created Real Estate Investing for Newbies http://www.REIforNewbies.com in order to teach and assist new Real Estate Investors in a step-by-step and easy-to-understand manner.

Visit http://www.REIforNewbies.com Today to Claim Your Free 7-Day eCourse!

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