Making Money Investing in Real Estate
Making
money in real estate is often perceived as a get rich quick scheme, and
it's really not that way. Just like any other investment, real estate
is an investment that must not be entered into lightly. No matter the
amount of money you sink into your real estate endeavors, never forget
that you could lose it just as easily as you invested it, just as with
any other investment.
The
most common means of investing in real estate is through rental
properties. Many people will buy properties, fix them up (or not, lots
of times) and then turn around and lease them to others in exchange for a
monthly rent. It is important to keep in mind when leasing properties
that in order for the rental market to continue, rental rates must be
reasonably priced. You can base a fair rent off of the value of the
properties in the surrounding neighborhood.
Real
estate is not a predictable market. Most inventors who have attained
recent successes say that they invested in the real estate market when
it was hot. The stock market was at an all time high and they took
advantage of that, making lots of money along the way. While riding the
real estate wave a lot of people gain a great deal of success in the
business and think it is always going to be that way, but that is not
so.
The
most important thing to remember when you are thinking of getting into
real estate is that the face value of the property itself is not going
to be enough to hold you over. A reserve of cash, an emergency fund if
you will, is necessary to a successful real estate investment
experience. You must have the ready cash or credit to cover insurance
deductibles, fix repairs, and cover emergencies. Otherwise you risk
losing the property through several means, up to and including lawsuit.
When
signing a loan to get into the real estate business initially, bear in
mind that your payments are not always going to equal the payments being
made on the property if it is being leased to another. That may be why
it is in your best interest to have full or at least near full
ownership of a property before renting it out. This is because not only
would you be responsible for making up the difference between the rent
and your payment, but you also have the responsibility of paying any
insurance payments, quit rent and assessment and maintenance fee of the
property.
Real
estate is one of the best businesses out there for people who don't
have a lot of opportunities available to them. It has successfully
turned many a dreamer into a businessman, but it is not to be regarded
as a get rich quick scheme. The business of real estate takes a large
amount of cash reserves saved up, a good investing mind, and a good
knowledge of the stock market and its conditions. 
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