432: 11 Key Traits of a Profitable Rental Property

SHOW NOTES FOR EPISODE 432: 11 KEY TRAITS OF A PROFITABLE RENTAL PROPERTY

Are you looking to purchase a rental property to boost your investment portfolio?  Investment properties can be exciting and very rewarding if you make the right choice.  But income and rewards aside, the idea can be daunting, especially for a first-time investor.  In today’s podcast, Bill presents 11 key traits or features investors should look for in finding a profitable rental property.

Tips of the Week

• Warren Buffet obtained 99% of his wealth after 50 years of age.
• Quarterly or Bi-Annual Rental Property Inspections – One thing that’s helped me quite a bit is writing a quarterly or bi-annual walk through into the lease agreements. This is mainly to ask the renter if there’s anything they’re noticing that needs to get fixed.  We’d also inspect under all the sinks and around the toilets, etc. for water damage.  Finding small water leaks before they become big problems can save a lot of money.”

11 Key Traits of a Profitable Rental Property

How to choose the best investment in the right neighborhood

Are you looking to purchase a residential rental property to boost your investment portfolio?  Investment properties can be exciting and very rewarding if you make the right choice. But income and rewards aside, the idea can be daunting for a first-time investor.

Real estate is a tough business and the field is peppered with land mines that can obliterate your returns. That’s why it’s important to do detailed research before you dive in so you’re on top of all the pros and cons of real estate investing. Here are the most important things to consider when shopping for an income property.

Starting Your Search

Begin your search for a ​property on your own before you bring a professional into the picture. An agent can pressure you to buy before you have found an investment that suits you best. And finding that investment is going to take some sleuthing skills and some shoe leather. This will help you narrow down several key characteristics you want for your property—type, location, size, and amenities. Once you’ve done that, you may want a real estate agent to help you complete the purchase.

Your location options will be limited by whether you intend to actively manage the property or hire someone else to do that for you. If you intend to actively manage it yourself, you don’t want a property that’s too far from where you live. If you are going to get a property management company to look after it, proximity is less of an issue.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 things you should consider when searching for the right rental property.

1. Buy in a Good Neighborhood

The neighborhood in which you buy will determine the types of tenants you attract and your vacancy rate. For example, if you buy near a university, chances are that students will dominate your pool of potential tenants and not only could you struggle to fill vacancies every summer but there are management challenges that are unique to student rentals you need to know.

2. Property Taxes That Aren’t too High

Property taxes are likely to vary widely across your target area, and you want to be aware of how much you’ll be losing. High property taxes are not always a bad thing in a great neighborhood that attracts long-term tenants, but there are unappealing locations that also have high taxes. The municipality’s assessment office will have all the tax information on file, or you can talk to homeowners in the community. Be sure to find out if property tax increases are likely in the near future.  A town in financial distress may hike taxes far beyond what a landlord can realistically charge in rent.

3. Good Schools

Consider the quality of the local schools if you’re dealing with family-sized homes. Although you will be mostly concerned about monthly cash flow, the overall value of your rental property comes into play when you eventually sell it. If there are no good schools nearby, it can affect the value of your investment and the quality of tenant you attract. Most listing services (Realtor.com, Zillow, etc.) include school ratings for every neighborhood.

4. Low Crime Rates

No one wants to live next door to a hot spot of criminal activity. The local police or public library should have accurate crime statistics for neighborhoods. Check the rates for vandalism, and for serious and petty crimes, and don’t forget to note if criminal activity is on the rise or declining. You might also want to ask about the frequency of a police presence in your neighborhood.

5. Healthy Job Market

Locations with growing employment opportunities attract more tenants. To find out how a specific area rates for job availability, check with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) or do a Google search for your area.  If you see an announcement about a major company moving to the area, you can be sure that workers in search of a place to live will flock there.  This may cause housing prices to go up or down, depending on the type of business involved.  You can assume that if you would like that company in your backyard, your renters will as well.

6. Good Amenities

Tour the neighborhood and check out the parks, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, public transportation links, and all the other perks that attract renters. Look at a Goodle map of the area.  When you see Starbucks, Panera, Whole Foods, those companies carefully search the best neighborhoods for their services. City Hall may have promotional literature that will give you an idea of where the best blend of public amenities and private property can be found.

7. Future Development

The municipal planning department for the city you are considering will have information on developments or plans that have already been zoned into the area. If there is a lot of construction going on, it is probably a good growth area. Watch out for new developments that could hurt the price of surrounding properties.  Additional new housing could also compete with your property.

8. Number of Listings and Vacancies

If a neighborhood has an unusually high number of listings, that’s a red flag.  It may signal a seasonal cycle or a neighborhood in decline—you need to find out exactly what is going on.  In either case, high vacancy rates force landlords to lower rents to attract tenants. Low vacancy rates allow landlords to raise rental rates.

9. Average Rents

Rental income will be your bread-and-butter, so you need to know the area’s average rent. Make sure any property you consider can bear enough rent to cover your mortgage payment, taxes, and other expenses. Research the area well on Rent-o-Meter and other online resources enough to gauge where it might be headed in the next five years.  If you can afford the area now but taxes are expected to increase, an affordable property today may mean bankruptcy later.

10. Likelihood of Natural Disasters

Insurance is another expense you will have to subtract from your returns, so you need to know just how much it’s going to cost you.  If an area is prone to earthquakes or flooding, coverage costs can eat away at your rental income and it could cost you in other ways as well.

11.  Do the Numbers Work?

When all else is said and done, the bottomline like question you have to ask is, “Do the numbers work?”  If you’ve narrowed down a market that has all the right stuff, you still have to make sure it offers an attractive R-O-I, cash flow, cash-on-cash return and all of the other key metrics.  That’s why, when investing in real estate, it is important to become an “expert” on the local market. Being well informed on the current trends, including any decreases or increases in the average rent, income, interest rates, and even unemployment/crime rates will allow you to recognize the current market status, plan for the future and continue to generate strong profits.

Subscribe to local news, business journals, Chamber of Commerce newsletters,  and other local media.  Being able to constantly forecast and stay a step ahead of the market can help lead you to become a more effective real estate investor.

Final Steps

Build an Information Database

​Official sources are great, but sometimes you need to dig deep and talk to the neighbors to get the real scoop. Talk to renters as well as homeowners. Renters will be far more honest about the negative aspects of a neighborhood because they have no investment in it. Visit the area at different times on different days of the week to see your future neighbors in action.

Choose the Property

The best investment property for beginners is generally a single-family dwelling or a duplex.  Starting with a duplex or other small multifamily property will bring in more income and helps buffer you from vacancy hits.

Two or three bedroom homes or units tend to attract longer-term renters. Families or couples are generally better tenants than singles because they are more less likely to move often and more likely to be financially stable and pay the rent regularly.

When you have the neighborhood narrowed down, look for a property with appreciation potential and good projected cash flow.  Check out properties that are more expensive than you can afford as well as those within your reach.  Real estate often sells below its listing price.

Watch the listing prices of other properties and check town records for the final selling prices to get an idea of what the market value really is in a neighborhood.

For appreciation potential, you are looking for a property that—with a few cosmetic changes and some renovations—will attract tenants who are willing to pay higher rents. This will also raise the value of the property if you choose to sell it after a few years.

Of course, a key step in ensuring a profitable endeavor is to buy a reasonably priced property.  The recommendation for rental property is to pay no more than 12 times the annual rent you expect to get.

Determine the Rent

How is the potential rent determined?  Check Rent-o-Meter, Zillow, Realtor.com to see what rents are going for in your area.  You are going to have to make an informed guess. Don’t get carried away with overly optimistic assumptions. Setting the rent too high and ending up with an empty unit for months quickly chips away at your overall profits.  Start with the average rent for the neighborhood and work from there.  Consider whether your place is worth a bit more or a bit less, and why.

To figure out if the rent number works for you as an investor, calculate what the place will actually cost you.  Subtract your expected monthly mortgage payment, property taxes divided by 12 months, insurance costs divided by 12, and a generous allowance for maintenance and repairs.

Don’t underestimate the costs to maintain and keep the property. These expenses depend on the age of the property and how much you plan to do yourself. A newer building probably will require less than an older one. An apartment in a complex for seniors is unlikely to be subjected to the same amount of damage as off-campus college housing.

Doing your own repairs cuts costs considerably, but it also means being on call 24/7 for emergencies. Another option is to hire a property management firm, which handles everything from broken toilets to collecting rent each month. Expect to pay around 10% of the gross rental income for this service.

If all these figures come out even or, better yet, with a little money left, you can now get your real estate agent to submit an offer.

Make the Purchase

Banks have tougher requirements for giving loans for investment properties than for primary residences. They assume that if times get tough, people are less inclined to jeopardize their homes than a business property. Be prepared to pay at least 20% to 30% for a down payment plus closing costs. Have the property thoroughly inspected by a professional and have a real estate lawyer review everything before signing.

Don’t forget to pay for sufficient insurance. Renter’s insurance covers a tenant’s belongings, but the building itself is the landlord’s responsibility, and the insurance may be more expensive than for a similar owner-occupied home. The property’s mortgage, insurance, and depreciation are all tax-deductible up to a certain amount.

In Conclusion

​Every state has good cities, every city has good neighborhoods, and every neighborhood has good properties.  It takes a lot of footwork and research to line up all three.  When you end up finding your ideal rental property, keep your expectations realistic and make sure your own finances are healthy enough that you can wait for the property to start generating cash

DISCLAIMER:  Many of the above strategies take knowledge and have a higher degree of risk.  You need to do your research and/or work with someone who is experienced to reduce your risk.

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