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How To Start Real Estate Investing
If you’ve ever owned a home, you probably don’t dream of being one — answering calls about oversized bugs and overflowing toilets doesn’t sound like the most glamorous job.
Creative Ways To Invest In Real Estate
But if done right, real estate investing can be lucrative, even now that we’ve moved into a higher interest rate environment. Investing in real estate can also help diversify your existing investment portfolio and be an additional income stream. And many of the best real estate investments don’t require showing up at every tenant call.
The problem is that many new investors do not know where and how to invest in real estate. Here are some of the best ways to make money in real estate, from low maintenance to high maintenance.
REITs allow you to invest in real estate without physical real estate. Often, compared to mutual funds, these are companies that own commercial real estate, such as office buildings, retail space, apartments, hotels. REITs tend to pay high dividends, making them a common retirement investment. Investors who don’t need or want regular income can automatically reinvest those dividends to further grow their investments.
Are REITs a good investment? They can be, but they can also be diverse and complex. Some are listed on the stock exchange like stocks; others are not listed on the stock exchange. The type of REIT you buy can be a major factor in how much risk you take on, since non-traded REITs don’t sell easily and can be difficult to value. New investors should generally stick to publicly traded REITs, which you can buy through brokerage firms.
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You will need a brokerage account for that. If you don’t already have one, it takes less than 15 minutes to open, and many businesses require no initial investment (although REITs will likely have a minimum investment).
You can also gain exposure to a more diverse selection of real estate investments by purchasing a fund that has interests in many REITs. You can do this through a real estate ETF or by investing in a mutual fund that holds shares of multiple REITs.
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Real estate investment platforms connect real estate developers with investors who want to finance projects, either through debt or equity. Investors expect to receive monthly or quarterly distributions in exchange for assuming a significant amount of risk and paying a fee to the platform. Like many real estate investments, these are speculative and illiquid – you can’t easily get rid of them the same way you can trade stocks.
The problem is that you may need money to make money. Many of these platforms are open only to accredited investors, defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission as individuals who have earned more than $200,000 ($300,000 with a spouse) in each of the last two years or have a net income of $1 million or more, not including the main residence. Alternatives for those who can’t meet that requirement include Fundrise and RealtyMogul.
How To Invest In Real Estate (the Basics)
Tiffany Aleki had no intention of becoming a real estate investor when she bought her first rental property at the age of 21. At the time, the senior in Raleigh, North Carolina, planned to attend graduate school locally and felt that buying would be better than renting.
“I went on Craigslist and found a four-bedroom, four-bathroom apartment that was set up in a student housing style. I bought it, lived in one bedroom, and rented out the other three,” says Alexi.
The setup covered all his expenses and brought in an extra $100 a month in cash, far from dumb money for a college student, and enough to get Alexi infested in real estate.
Alexi entered the market using a strategy sometimes called house hacking, a term coined by BiggerPockets, an online resource for real estate investors. Essentially, this means that you occupy your investment property, either by renting out rooms, as Alexi did, or by renting out units in a multi-unit building. David Meyer, vice president of data and analytics at the site, says home hacking allows investors to buy a property with up to four units and still qualify for a home loan.
A Beginner’s Guide To Real Estate Investing
Of course, you can buy and rent an entire investment property. Find one with combined costs that are less than what you can charge for rent. And if you don’t want to be the person who shows up with a tool belt to fix the leak, or even the person who calls that person, you’ll have to pay the property manager as well.
“If you run it yourself, you’ll learn a lot about the industry, and if you buy future properties, you’ll come in with more experience,” Meyer says.
This is HGTV made: you invest in a cheap house that needs some love, renovate it as cheaply as possible, and then resell it for a profit. The strategy, called moving, is a little harder than it looks on TV. It’s also more expensive than it used to be, given today’s higher costs of building materials and mortgage interest. Many home buyers aim to pay cash for homes.
“There is a greater element of risk because a lot of the math behind the investment requires a very precise estimate of how much the repairs will cost, which is not easy to do,” says Meyer.
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His suggestion: find an experienced partner. “You may have capital or time to contribute, but find a contractor who is good at estimating costs or project management,” he says.
Another investment risk is that the longer you own the property, the less you will earn because you may be paying off the mortgage without generating any income. You can reduce that risk by living in the house while you fix it. This works as long as most of the upgrades are cosmetic and you don’t mind a little dust.
Finally, to jump right into the real estate waters, you could rent out part of your home. Such an arrangement can significantly reduce housing costs, which could allow people to stay in their homes while continuing to benefit from house price appreciation.
Adding a roommate can also make mortgage payments more affordable for younger people. But if you’re not sure if you’re ready, you can try a site like Airbnb. That’s how to hack a commitment-friendly home: You don’t have to accept a long-term tenant, potential renters are at least somewhat pre-screened by Airbnb, and the company’s host guarantee provides protection against damage.
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Renting a room is much more affordable than the fancy concept of investing in real estate. If you have a spare room, you can rent it.
Like all investment decisions, the best real estate investments are those that best serve you, the investor. Think about how much time you have, how much capital you’re willing to invest, and whether you want to deal with household problems when they inevitably arise. If you don’t have DIY skills, consider investing in real estate through a REIT or crowdfunding platform instead of directly in real estate.
About the Author: Ariel O’Shea is an authority on retirement and investing, with appearances on the “Today Show,” “NBC Nightly News” and other national media outlets. In more detail
Sign up and we’ll send you nerdy articles on the money topics that matter most to you along with other ways to help you get more for your money. Starting a real estate business in 2020 is a wise move. With a healthy economy and housing market to support your business venture, all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together to make this a great year for real estate investing. But even so, you still have to take responsibility for learning how to start a real estate business. there is a lot of it
Making Money From Real Estate Investing
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