Friday, June 12, 2009

Starting Out As A RE Investor

By Doc Schmyz

One of the best ways to get started with building your own personal wealth-building system is by investing in real estate. Becoming a real estate investor is a daunting task, but one that will, if operated efficiently, pay dividends forever.

How do you start? Well lets take a look at a few time tested methods.

Every where you turn these days some one is a member of a Real Estate group. Find where they meet and be willing to ask the most basic of questions.

RE investors, are for the most part, a great group of people, from all walks of life. the one thing we all share is our passion for what we do. We discuss tatics and ideas about what to invest in as well as where. We share tips on things that have worked ..and warnings about things that dont.

Before actually buying any investment properties, beginning real estate investors should begin to put their organizations together by outlining a specific business plan. The plan should go over every step in the purchase of a property, from the marketing strategies on through the sale or leasing of a property.

At first you need to decide on what type of property to start with. If your goal is to find distressed houses then focus on those. If you want to deal with the condo market..then thats where you look. Keep in mind when you focus on one area you will become more understanding of what those types of property can be sold for, not to mention how much it cost to get them sale ready.

Building your team is the hardest part of the whole process. You need to find good quality craftsmen who wont break your budget. Contractors, sub-contractors, plumbers, electrical guys...all of these are important. GREAT ones who do good work are harder to find then a good real estate deal. When you find one...hold on to them.

If you will be working with "fixer-upper" houses, line up a plumber and an electrician, as well as heating and air-conditioning experts. Better yet, find a reliable "handyman" who is capable of doing many of the jobs needed in fixing up houses.

Find a good agent. THis is harder then you might think. You see most agents dont work well with investors. Why? Investors want the agent to do tons of work the normal buyer doesnt. Offers counter offers...spread sheets to show profits and losses..not to mention all the surrounding research on the sales in the area in the last 6-12 months. A good agent will do this. a good agent understand that they may sell you more then one house in a years time..and that means repeat business for the agent.

Exit Stratagy. How to unload your investment. think about how your going to sell it. are you listing it yourself?? Or useing the great agent you found. How long will you stick with a price before you lower it? These are things to make sure you have set up in your plan already.

Are mistakes going to happen yes. They happen to every real estate investor..the trick is to learn how to spot them. the longer you hold on to a property the lower your profit.

Be efficent, and resourcefull. Keep your eye on your bottom line and you will grow a nice little investment business.

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