Tips for Investors

Tip #1: Define the end purpose of your investment

As an investor wishing to take advantage of the low prices of real estate today, you are really faced with 2 options in the end: keep or sell, depending on market conditions.

Your end strategy will determine how much time and money you should be ready to invest in your property and/or real estate portfolio.

Keeping it may also mean 2 things: renting it out or using it for your own needs. In both cases, you should be prepared for potential renovation/rehab or upgrade costs to keep up with the latest housing standards as well as market trends.

Exiting the real estate market could mean turning it around as quickly as possible (e.g. through wholesaling) or waiting for the right market conditions and type of buyer.

Tip #2: Take the time to understand the market

Above all, take the time to study and compare current market prices and transactions history with the help of a real estate agent very familiar with the area. Leverage local resources as much as possible and spend time in the target area to form your own opinion.

Also, while the location always remains the critical factor, there are other "soft" criteria worth considering such as crime rate, hazards risks such as fire (most common in California) or flooding as well as attractiveness of the area to potential buyers or tenants of the property.

Tip #3: Buy from an investor’s point of view

When shopping as an investor, you always face 2 choices: look for quality properties or snap homes on the low end of the market.

Unless you plan to use the property you are purchasing for your own needs, stay away from homes on the high end of the market. 

Try as much as you can to invest in cheap properties. Remember the old maxim: buy low, sell high.

Cheap and inhospitable places might turn you off first as a home owner but should inspire you as an investor. Look for "fixer-upper" places, "starter homes" that will require varying levels of restoration and/or renovation.

Tip#4: Make your offer based on market type

In a buyers' market, you should consider making an offer below the asking price depending on the comparables in the area.  In a sellers’ market you will most likely have to bid over asking price. How much more over asking price will depend on the desirability of the property and number of competitors.

At the end of the day, it is always your choice that should prevail, not just the advice from your Realtor, no matter how reputable and knowledgeable he or she can be.

As I always say to my customers, I am here to give you the tools to make the right decision but you are the ultimate decision-maker.Make your first offer well below market prices.