4 Best Ways To Get Started In Property Investment

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Just like other forms of investment, investing in real estate can diversify your investment portfolio. With proper planning and preparation, your real estate investment can provide you with higher returns as an investor. However, the process of investing in real estate can be daunting and overwhelming.

There are many things to consider to make sure you get it right. Therefore, if you’re considering starting a real estate investment, here are the four best ways to consider from the beginning:

 Establish Financial Goals

To begin with your property investment efforts, it’s important to set your financial goals first. Typically, plenty of investors make the mistake of investing in real estate without knowing what their goals are. Hence, to avoid committing this mistake, you should know and understand what you want to achieve financially so you can decide which investment properties to invest. Remember, if you buy the wrong properties, it could lead you toward a wrong direction, which means more financial losses over time. 

As such, be sure to establish your financial goals when getting started with property investment. Your goal can be anything. Whether you want capital growth or you want to generate passive income, the choice is yours. Just make sure that whatever your goal is, your property investment can help achieve it in time. 

Look For Some Financing Sources

Unlike other types of investment, it’s practical to make use of financial to help you invest in property. Since real estate can be regarded as an important form of investment, you may need more financial resources to ensure you can buy the real estate you want. In addition, if you don't have enough funds, some financing options can help you start investing in real estate.

Here are some financing options to choose from:

• Commercial loans: These can be quite attractive to real estate investors as these can be used to flip commercial properties and get revenue from the property. A common example of commercial loans is the business line of credit. Also, when taking these loans, you may have to deal with higher interest rates and fees and a shorter payment term. 
• Bridging loans: These are short-term loans that an investor can use until they can secure permanent financing option for their investment. Also known as gap financing, bridging loan, bridging loans, or swing loans, they are used to bridge the gap in situations wherein funds are needed but not yet available. For example, if you want to purchase a new home as an investment, you can use these loans to finance your purchase while waiting for your current property to be sold. 
• Hard money loans: These loans are lent by private investors or businesses instead of a bank. Although these financial services can be risky due to the costs, they let investors generate quick profit by flipping lucrative properties. 
• Portfolio loans: These loans are kept by lending institutions and banks rather than being sold on the mortgage market. When you take out these loans for your property investment, be ready to pay competitive interest rates within a short payment term such as 5 – 10 years. 

Choose A Property Market And Investing Style To Pursue

The next step to get started with property investing is to pick a market and a style to take. Whether it’s small multi-family deals, larger multi-family deals, or even commercial deals, your will depend on several factors. This means that when choosing a property market, you should factor in several factors, including job growth, population growth, wage/salary growth, employment diversity, and many more. To get some key data points about a given market, doing a web search can be an excellent idea. 

Aside from the market, getting started with property investment requires you to select a specific investing style to pursue. Primarily, an investing style refers to a method observed and used by an investor in picking and managing investments for a portfolio. Hence, when it comes to property investing, the common styles to choose from can include:

• Sole Proprietorship: This means you own the property alone and all profits it generates will go to you. 
• Partnership: This means you own the property with others and all profits generated will be shared and distributed to all the partners. 
• Syndication: This means that your investment will go to a pool with other investors and the collected funds will be used to buy a property. Under this investing style, you become a passive investor since you receive income without making decisions. 
• Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs): This means investing a stock or exchange traded funds which have ownership of multiple properties and sell shares that other investors can buy. 

Build Your Team

To begin with property investing, it’s also essential to build your network of professionals who can help you with the process. These can include property managers, lenders, real estate brokers, accountant, insurance agent, real estate lawyer, and many more. With these people by your side, you can make sound decisions which can help you grow as a successful property investor. Remember, investing in property is a people-based business, which is why you need the help of some professionals to navigate the process more effectively. 

Thus, to build your investment team, the best way can be through referrals. If you know someone who is into property investing, you can ask them to recommend some professionals who can be part of your network. If there’s no one who can give referrals, the Google and other major search engines can lend you a helping hand to search the right professionals. 

The Bottom Line

Generally speaking, starting out with property investment can be a complicated process. But, by following the ways mentioned above, you can get started with this lucrative undertaking more successfully. Make sure you have all the information you need to navigate your investments and generate more returns in the long-term.