If you are looking for good returns over time, and a lower risk investment strategy, then investment in real estate is a good path to follow. Worldwide real estate markets are following an upward trend, that are creating exceptional returns for investors which has led to more people getting involved in this sector, and pushing gains even higher.
One of the reasons why investment in real estate is so attractive is the fact that as well as the appreciation in value of your asset, you can also take tangible benefits from it over the lifetime of your investment.
There are a number of different strategies that you can follow when investing in real estate. Most simply, you can just sit back and watch as the value of your own home increases over time, and then sell it at a profit when you are ready to move on. Downsizing is a popular option for seniors who no longer need a family home when they retire, and would rather take advantage of the value of their property.
A more aggressive way of taking an income from real estate ownership is to develop properties. By buying a run down home, renovating and improving the building, you can turn it around for a quick profit which you can then reinvest in more projects.
More ambitious investors will consider the possibility of full scale construction projects, and certainly taking a building from ground level through until completion is ultimately very satisfying both on a personal and financial level. Construction is not for the faint hearted through, as hands on project management will take up a lot of your time and requires very specific skills, so amateurs need not apply.
Although it requires greater investment of your time, as well as your money, building a portfolio of rental properties offers some of the best returns of any real estate investment strategy. Aside from the long term appreciation in the value of the properties that you own, you can also enjoy a consistent stream of rental income from your tenants that should easily cover any outstanding mortgage payments on the property.
Whatever method of real estate investment you choose to follow, it is important to realize from the start that profit is not guaranteed, nor is it ever easy money. If you are developing properties, you should take into account the cost of any work that you carry out, and maximize your margins by doing as much of the work as you can yourself.
In any case, with low interest rates and the easy availability of credit from a variety of sources, it has never been easier to get the seed money to use in order to get your real estate investment off to a start.
Bill Manassero is the founder/top dog at “The Old Dawg’s REI Network,” a blog, newsletter, and podcast for seniors and retirees, that teaches the art of real estate investing. His personal real estate investing goal, which will be chronicled at olddawgsreinetwork.com, is to own/control 1,000 units/doors in the next 6 years. Prior to that, Bill and his family lived in Haiti for 11 years as missionaries serving orphaned, abandoned and at-risk children.