Everyone wants to give you advice on when, and how, to invest in real estate. But often that advice is misguided when you take the market and economic factors into account. Here are some timeless pieces of advice for both beginner and experienced property investors:
Real estate is a proven wealth-building vehicle. Investing in rental properties can generate positive income and significant tax benefits, as well as build equity from appreciation over the years.
Although many people can succeed in investing in real estate, rental property investing isn’t for everyone. Take account of your investment preferences and personality before buying property. Real estate is a hands-on investing. Do you have the time to devote to real estate investing? Are you comfortable troubleshooting problems or hiring a property manager?
Make sure you’re financially fit before investing in rental properties. Pay particular attention to your monthly budget. Most successful real estate investors build their investment portfolio through having saved money first and then gradually buying properties over the years.
Don’t underestimate the importance of establishing good credit. The best returns on real estate rely upon the use of credit to obtain the leverage of using OPM (other people’s money).
Your home is not an investment property. Your home is an investment (of sorts), but Australian tax law makes it considerably different from ‘investment property’. But, if you’re the DIY type, or a good project manager, you can make plenty of money in real estate from renovating your own home and selling it free of capital gains tax.
Focus on residential properties in the beginning. Residential property is an attractive investment and is easier to understand, purchase and manage than most other types of property. If you’re a homeowner, you already have experience locating, purchasing and maintaining residential property. But don’t forget this important point: You’re not buying the property to live in yourself.
Among residential property options, our top recommendations are stand-alone houses. The maxim that ‘land appreciates, buildings depreciate’ means that the properties with the highest land content are most likely to appreciate the most over the longer term.
Have your real estate team in place before you begin your serious property searching. Early in the process, line up a solicitor (or conveyancer), mortgage broker, accountant, depreciation specialist, financial adviser, real estate agent and so on, because the investor with the best resources can identify the properties to ignore and those worthy of careful consideration. Move quickly — the speed at which you can close a transaction can be a big advantage.
Look for properties in the path of progress. Areas where new development or redevelopment is heading are among the best places to be. The best real estate investment opportunities are properties that are well located and physically sound but cosmetically challenged and poorly managed.
Be wary of property spruikers promising real estate riches in no time. Too many people have been too greedy over the years trying to ‘get rich quickly’ with property. Property investment requires a ‘get-rich-right’ mentality.
Nail down the best financing terms and keep your banker on his toes. The bigger the deposit you can offer (say, more than 20 per cent), the more access you’ll get to the best financing deal for your first property. But if you’ve got plenty of equity in your own home, you’ve also got the asset that banks prefer in order to lend you money on reasonable terms.
Leverage can boost your rates of return. But too much leverage can be dangerous if the rental market turns and your debt expenses are high. Continually search the market to make sure your financing is at competitive rates.
Use the powers of leveraging and compounding to build your property portfolio. Property portfolios are built through a snowballing effect. Buying your first home or your first investment property can be difficult. But the powers of compounding and leverage will make subsequent purchases easier. It may take five years to acquire your first two or three properties but, in the second five years, you can probably double the number of properties you buy.
We prefer the adage of ‘location, location, value’. It clearly emphasises location, but also the importance of finding good value. Owning real estate in up-and-coming areas with new development or renovated properties enhances your chances of finding and keeping good tenants and leads to greater returns. Another great opportunity comes from properties in great locations that haven’t been well maintained. Look for aesthetic issues that can be cheaply addressed.
Don’t make real estate investments too close to home. Buying property in the same, or next, suburb as your home is a dangerous philosophy. Diversification is important within any investment portfolio and having both your home and an investment property (unless it’s one of many investment properties) in the same suburb or town leaves you doubly vulnerable to a downturn in that area.
Any decision about where to invest starts with an evaluation of the region’s economic trends. If the area isn’t economically sound, then the likelihood of successful real estate investments is diminished.
You’re purchasing a future income stream when you buy a property. The key is identifying which properties sellers have underpriced.
Don’t rely on the seller’s numbers when evaluating the potential of a commercial property. Speak directly with the seller to determine the history of the property and her motivation for selling. But don’t rely on historic operating results offered by the seller or agent. Develop your own numbers through evaluating the property with the aid of qualified professionals who are specialists in the physical and fiscal management of real estate.
The buy-and-flip real estate investment strategy can work, but it also has a downside. Buying and flipping (or buying and quickly reselling property) can be a way to make quick money in real estate if you time your investments correctly in a rapidly rising real estate market. However, flipping can cause your profits to be fully taxed — that is, without the advantage of the 50 per cent capital gains discount.
Give yourself some ownership options. If you’re building a portfolio and buying with your partner, consider how you structure the ownership of the property to leave yourself some options to minimise tax when it comes time to sell.
Think about gearing in terms of what you want out of your investment. Everyone’s heard of negative gearing, but negative gearing means ‘losing’ money on an annual basis, which can make sense for some investors, especially those on high incomes. If you’re not on a high income, neutrally geared or positively geared property may better provide you with what you want from property.
The best laid plans can be destroyed by one catastrophic event. Don’t believe you can get away without proper insurance. And insurance isn’t just home and contents and landlord’s insurance. A proper property plan includes personal risk insurance, so you can keep your property investment plans afloat even if disaster strikes.
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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/principles-for-real-estate-investment-success-in-a.html
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