Real Estate Problem Solver

Burn, Baby, Burn!
Luxury homes are lots of fun to inspect. Sure, the pay is better too, but mostly it’s just fun to see how the other half lives! I also get to meet those people who have reached such a level of financial success that they are buying a home that seems like it could have been a boarding school! Dubai unveils world’s tallest building with a nod to huge bailout by rival Abu Dhabi

The inauguration of the tallest building on Earth was supposed to be a show of defiance by Dubai’s rulers after a property crash which threatened to shatter the Gulf emirate’s reputation as a global economic power. Law & Logic of Homeowner Association Capital Reserves

In October 1999, Oregon was one of the first states that enacted a significant improvement to its Condominium and Planned Community regarding capital reserve planning, a process by which homeowner associations plan and fund future repairs and replacements. For many associations, the process became mandatory although there was an “escape clause” for pre-October 99 Oregon communities. How to Sell Your Own Home and Save Thousands of Dollars
Most people take the easy way out when selling their home and hand the responsibility over to a real estate agent, when in fact the average homeowner is capable of selling their own home.

Real Estate Investing with No Cash and No Credit

Lots of folks think it can’t be done. Real Estate Investments
Real estate investments come through a variety of different options. However, whether it is a vacation property, a first home, an early retirement house, or a rental property that you find appealing, real estate investments are all the rage, and are quickly becoming one of the safest investments available, especially in our less-than-perfect economy. Understanding Real Estate Terminology
Purchasing a home can be a complicated and confusing process, especially for first-time buyers. Throughout the process, first-time home buyers will encounter a variety of unfamiliar real state terms. There are several key terms associates with purchasing real estate that are helpful to learn.

Content Ideas for Ads and Brochures When Selling Your Home In Real Estate Mortgage

Even in this hot real estate market, selling your home requires a bit of marketing effort. Ads and brochures are important and powerful tools. So, what do you put in you’re marketing materials? Land for Sale

Think owning land would cost a fortune? Think again! While land prices on the extreme coasts motors upward, there are millions of parcels for sale throughout the USA that can fit into anyone’s budget. There is probably a land deal that could make you a profit happening right under your nose right now.

Time to wake up and seize the day! Commercial Real Estate Industry – Is the Condo Craze Over, or Just Gaining Steam

Over the last two years there has been so much condo activity that many commercial real estate lenders are starting to express concern over the future stability of condo markets. Some lenders have recently found themselves over allocated in condominiums as a result of the recent activity and have therefore become wary of all but the best opportunities.

Real Estate Investing and Home Ownership

If you already own your home, you will probably make money in real estate without ever buying another property. Types Of Real Estate – An Investors Choice
There are different types of real estate, and different ways to invest in them. Which way is best is for you to decide, according to your particular needs. Here are a few ways to consider, with their advantages and disadvantages.

The Sadness of Old Buildings

From the book No Smooshing! Local Real Estate Becoming A Battle Hardened Real Estate Veteran Without All The Scars

Step 1 is always to determine the fair market value(FMV). As a real estate investor, you can always buy properties at the FMV. My question is why would anybody want to do that? Through careful selection, you can always find properties that are priced below FMV, regardless if they are existing or if they are a preconstruction project. The best way to determine FMV is to work with someone already familiar with the area or determine yourself through local websites showing recent sales histories.

How To Go About Selling Your Home OnYour Own

In days of booming real estate, you would think that selling a home shouldn’t be too much of a task. And if it’s going to be that easy then why not do it on your own and save yourself on thousands of dollars in commissions. Well, you would be right in thinking so! Selling a home on your own has become much easier these days compared to earlier and it’s something that has been done successfully in the recent past by many homeowners. Nevertheless, you cannot totally eliminate the ‘option’ of considering the services of a real estate agent. It’s worth a try selling your home on your own but if things don’t seem to work out then it’s best to go back and rely on the services of a trusted agent you know.

Burn, Baby, Burn!
Luxury homes are lots of fun to inspect. Sure, the pay is better too, but mostly it’s just fun to see how the other half lives! I also get to meet those people who have reached such a level of financial success that they are buying a home that seems like it could have been a boarding school! Dubai unveils world’s tallest building with a nod to huge bailout by rival Abu Dhabi
The inauguration of the tallest building on Earth was supposed to be a show of defiance by Dubai’s rulers after a property crash which threatened to shatter the Gulf emirate’s reputation as a global economic power. Law & Logic of Homeowner Association Capital Reserves
In October 1999, Oregon was one of the first states that enacted a significant improvement to its Condominium and Planned Community regarding capital reserve planning, a process by which homeowner associations plan and fund future repairs and replacements. For many associations, the process became mandatory although there was an “escape clause” for pre-October 99 Oregon communities. How to Sell Your Own Home and Save Thousands of Dollars
Most people take the easy way out when selling their home and hand the responsibility over to a real estate agent, when in fact the average homeowner is capable of selling their own home. Real Estate Investing with No Cash and No Credit
Lots of folks think it can’t be done. Real Estate Investments
Real estate investments come through a variety of different options. However, whether it is a vacation property, a first home, an early retirement house, or a rental property that you find appealing, real estate investments are all the rage, and are quickly becoming one of the safest investments available, especially in our less-than-perfect economy. Understanding Real Estate Terminology
Purchasing a home can be a complicated and confusing process, especially for first-time buyers. Throughout the process, first-time home buyers will encounter a variety of unfamiliar real state terms. There are several key terms associates with purchasing real estate that are helpful to learn. Content Ideas for Ads and Brochures When Selling Your Home In Real Estate Mortgage
Even in this hot real estate market, selling your home requires a bit of marketing effort. Ads and brochures are important and powerful tools. So, what do you put in you’re marketing materials? Land for Sale
Think owning land would cost a fortune? Think again! While land prices on the extreme coasts motors upward, there are millions of parcels for sale throughout the USA that can fit into anyone’s budget. There is probably a land deal that could make you a profit happening right under your nose right now. Time to wake up and seize the day! Commercial Real Estate Industry – Is the Condo Craze Over, or Just Gaining Steam
Over the last two years there has been so much condo activity that many commercial real estate lenders are starting to express concern over the future stability of condo markets. Some lenders have recently found themselves over allocated in condominiums as a result of the recent activity and have therefore become wary of all but the best opportunities. Real Estate Investing and Home Ownership
If you already own your home, you will probably make money in real estate without ever buying another property. Types Of Real Estate – An Investors Choice
There are different types of real estate, and different ways to invest in them. Which way is best is for you to decide, according to your particular needs. Here are a few ways to consider, with their advantages and disadvantages. The Sadness of Old Buildings
From the book No Smooshing! Local Real Estate Becoming A Battle Hardened Real Estate Veteran Without All The Scars
Step 1 is always to determine the fair market value(FMV). As a real estate investor, you can always buy properties at the FMV. My question is why would anybody want to do that? Through careful selection, you can always find properties that are priced below FMV, regardless if they are existing or if they are a preconstruction project. The best way to determine FMV is to work with someone already familiar with the area or determine yourself through local websites showing recent sales histories. How To Go About Selling Your Home On Your Own
In days of booming real estate, you would think that selling a home shouldn’t be too much of a task. And if it’s going to be that easy then why not do it on your own and save yourself on thousands of dollars in commissions. Well, you would be right in thinking so! Selling a home on your own has become much easier these days compared to earlier and it’s something that has been done successfully in the recent past by many homeowners. Nevertheless, you

Advantages of real estate investing

Investing in real estate is as advantageous and as attractive as investing in the stock market. I would say it has three times more prospects of making money than any other business. But, But, But… since, it is equally guided by the market forces; you cannot undermine the constant risks involved in the real estate. Let me begin discussing with you the advantages of real estate investments. I found the advantages as most suited and really practical.

 
Advantages

Real Estate Investments are Less Risky

As compared to other investments, less of misadventure is involved in a real estate property. I will not get away from the fact that just like any investment you make; you have the risk of losing it. Real estate investments are traditionally considered a stable and rich gainer, provided if one takes it seriously and with full sagacity. The reasons for the real estate investments becoming less risky adventure primarily relate to various socio-economic factors, location, market behavior, the population density of an area; mortgage interest rate stability; good history of land appreciation, less of inflation and many more. As a rule of thumb, if you have a geographical area where there are plenty of resources available and low stable mortgage rates, you have good reason for investing in the real estate market of such a region. On the contrary, if you have the condo in a place, which is burgeoning under the high inflation, it is far-fetched to even think of investing in its real estate market.

No Need for Huge Starting Capital

A real estate property in Canada can be procured for an initial amount as low as ,000 to $ 15,000, and the remaining amount can be taken on holding the property as security. This is what you call High Ratio Financing.  If you don’t have the idea as to how it works, then let me explain you with the help of an example. Remember that saying… Examples are better than percepts!

Supposing, you buy a condo worth 0,000, then you have to just pay the initial capital amount say 10% of 0,000. The remaining amount (which is 90%) can be financed, against your condo. It means that in a High Ratio financing, the ratio between the debt (here in the example it is 90% Mortgage) and the equity (here in the example it is 10% down payment) is very high. It is also important to calculate high ratio mortgage insurance with the help of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). If needed, you can also purchase the condo on 100% mortgage price.  

Honing Investment Skills

A real estate investment, especially when you buy a condo for yourself, will be a pleasurable learning experience. It gives you the opportunity to learn and when I went ahead with my first real estate property, I was totally a dump man. Ask me now, and I can tell you everything, from A to Z. Necessity is the mother of all inventions. I had the necessity to buy the property and so I tried with it, and I was successful. I acquired all the knowledge and skills through experience of selling and purchasing the residential property. Thanks to my job. It gave me the experience to become an investor.

 
Not a time taking Adventure

Real estate investment will not take out all your energies, until you are prepared and foresighted to take the adventure in full swing. You can save hell lot of time, if you are vigilant enough to know the techniques of making a judicious investment in the right time and when there are good market conditions prevailing at that point of time.

You should be prepared to time yourself. Take some time out, and do market research. Initiate small adventures that involve negotiating real estate deals, buying a property, managing it and then selling it off. Calculate the time invested in your real estate negotiation. If the time was less than the optimum time, you have done it right. And if you end up investing more time, then you need to work it out again, and make some real correction for consummating next deals. You have various ways and methodologies, called the Real Estate Strategies that can make it happen for you in the right manner.

Leverage is the Right Way

The concept of leverage in real estate is not a new one. It implies investing a part of your money and borrowing the rest from other sources, like banks, investment companies, finance companies, or other people’s money (OPM). There have been many instances where people have become rich by practically applying OPM Leverage Principal. As I had discussed under the sub head – No Need for Huge Starting Capital, the high ratio financing scheme gives an opportunity of no risk to the lenders, as the property becomes the security. Moreover, in case the lender is interested in selling the property, the net proceeds resulting from the sale of the property should comfortably cover the mortgage amount.

Now consider a situation, where the lender leverages the property at too high ratio debt say 98% or even more, and all of the sudden the market shows a down turn, then both the investor as well as the lender. Hence, greater is the mortgage debt, more is the lender’s risk, and it is therefore necessary that lender pays higher interest rates. The only way out to ease the risk from lender’s head is to get the mortgage insured. Two companies authorized to insure your high-ratio mortgage debts are CMHC (www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca), and GE mortgage Insurance Canada (www.gemortgage.ca).

Let me explain you with the help of an example… supposing, you are buying a real estate property worth $ 200,000 at three mortgages, with the first one of  0,000, the second of  ,000 and the third one of  ,000. Possible percentage of interest rates charged can be 3%, 5% and 7%.  The last mortgage amount of  ,000 will be accounted, as riskiest; as it would relatively be the last mortgage that you will pay when you finally make a selling deal.

On the contrary, if the first mortgage representing almost 90% of your property price is insured against getting default or as high ratio mortgage, then in the above example, the basic interest rate would be 3%.

Let me explain you the leveraging concept by taking another example.

 Supposing, you are buying a real estate property worth 0,000, and made down payment of 10%, equitable to ,000, while financed the rest amount of ,80,000. Over the year’s time, the value of your property appreciates by 10%. In this case, what would be the total return that you’d incur on your down payment of ,000? It would be 200%. Yes 200%. Putting in simpler words, the down payment of  ,000 made by you has an appreciation of 10% over it, i.e. (10% increase of original home price of $ 200,000), 200% return on your down payment investment of ,000.

On the contrary if you invest all the money in buying the property of 0,000, and in wake of appreciation of 10% over the year (,0000 would then be accrued to as 20%.

Synonymous with leveraging is pyramiding, where you borrow on the appreciated value of your existing property. Pyramiding applies the principal of leverage that enables you to purchase even more properties. This appreciated value over the real estate property in some selected areas results in accumulation of rich financial virtues.
 
Real Estate Appreciation

An appreciation is an average increase in the property value over original capital investment, taking place over a period. There are some neglected real estate properties that have an appreciation below the average mark, whereas, some of the properties located in maintained geographical areas, showing high demand, have an above average appreciation. In such centrally located and high demand areas, the average appreciation can reach up to 25% in a year. I will discuss appreciation in the chapter on real estate cycles. For now, for general understanding, appreciation is what goes up.

You Make Your Equity

As you gradually pay your mortgage debts, you are creating your equity. In other words, you would be reaching to original house price on which you have no debt. Your equity is absolutely free of percentage increase in appreciation.  From the investor’s perspective, in real estate market, equity is the amount that is free of debt and it is the amount that an investor holds. When you sale your property, then the net money you get, after paying all the commissions and closing costs, becomes your equity. Lenders don’t want to take risk by allowing a loan on over 90% of equity. Therefore, in this manner, the lenders take the safety measures in wake of their loan being defaulted.

The Federal Bankruptcy act says that all the first mortgages of over 75% of the appraised or purchase value must be covered under high-ratio insurance schemes. However, there are certain conditions, wherein, CMHC offers the purchasers of real estate property qualifying the insurance, a mortgage of up to 100% of purchase price over your principal house value. In the wake of an event where borrowers want more money from the lenders, they would ideally settle for second and the third mortgages.

Low Inflation

Inflation is the rise in the prices of the products, commodities and services, or putting it another way, it is the decrease in your capacity to buy or hire the services. Supposing, a commodity was worth a decade back, will now cost $ 100 as the result of inflation. For people who have fixed salaries feel the real brunt of the dollar, as the inflation rises. In Canada, the inflation rate varies and it varies every year. There was a time when Canada had a double-digit, but it was controlled to single digit, after the regulation of policy.

If we analyze closely, the land appreciation value for the residential real estate is 4% to 5% higher than

Broker Price Opinions Jobs

Eight Tips for Getting Started in Real Estate Investing

Introduction Broker Price Opinions Jobs

This article is just the basics for getting started in real estate investing. This is not a how to article but an article that gives you some information about things to do to get started. Everything in this article is tools that can be applied to helping anyone get started in real estate investing. I am going to give you my eight keys to getting started. Nothing is right or wrong but reflects the point of view of the author. Laws and legal practices vary from state to state, and laws can change over time. The author does not vouch for the legality of his opinions, nor is there any intent to supply legal advice. The author strongly encourages the reader to consult with professionals and an attorney prior to entering in any real estate transaction or contract. The author is not a writer but he is a real estate investor. There will be grammar mistakes and errors, so don’t be too critical of the grammar but focus your energy on what is being said. With that said prepare yourself to think a little differently and expand your mind. Let’s get started on an amazing adventure.

The Eight Tips are as follows

1. Desire
2. Goal Setting
3. Learning What To Do
4. Attending a Real Estate Investing Seminar
5. The Billings Montana Market
6. Finding a Mentor
7. Your Real Estate Team
8. Just Do IT

1. Desire

Before we get in to the bolts and nails of real estate investing in I want to talk to you about desire. If you are going to be successful at anything in life including real estate investing you have to have the desire to do it. Desire is defined as longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment. Desire stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim. In real estate investing if you don’t have a desire to learn and grow as a human being and really get satisfaction out of it, then real estate investing is going to be hard to do. When I go out and look at a property it brings me a lot of enjoyment. Every aspect brings me joy from talking to home owners, figuring out how I can make a deal work, to buying the house and to finding a good homeowner or tenant for the house. Real estate investing may not be for everyone but real estate investing can offer anyone the financial freedom we all crave for. If you do not have the desire for real estate investing that is ok, it can still help you to live your dreams and help you to get where you want to go in the future.

Why is real estate investing an amazing avenue for anyone to live out all of their dreams? Let me ask you a few questions. Do you have enough money to do anything you want? Do you have everything you want? No debt? A nice house? Great Marriage? The freedom to do anything regardless of how much it costs and the time it takes? If you have all of these things then you are one of the few people in America who does. Most people may be working fifty hours a week and making just enough to pay their bills. In today’s day and age most people are living pay check to pay check never really knowing if they will make enough to pay the bills that just keep piling up. If you cannot keep up with your monthly bills how are you going to plan for retirement or send your kids to college or have time to enjoy life. The answer to all of these questions is becoming financially free. Now it’s not going to be easy everyone will have to get off the couch and out of their comfort zone. Real estate is proven to be one of the fastest ways to get your out of the rat race of the nine to five and begin living the life you deserve to live. Everyone wants something different out of their life. Some dream of traveling the world, spending more time with family, volunteering, golfing, laying on a beach, giving back to the community, or anything that will make them happy. There are thousands of things that make people happy.

Making it in real estate takes a person who has a strong desire to change their lives for the better and think big. Anyone can become a great real estate investor. It is going to take a lot of work and can be a struggle at times but in the end it will be the most amazing feeling ever. The people that make it in real estate investing all have a few things in common. First they run their real estate investing business like any other business out there. Second they get out there and network with anyone and everyone. Some people might be like me and have a hard time talking to other people. If you are that is ok, anyone can learn how to become a people person, it just takes hard daily work. You have to push yourself past your comfort zone. The third thing is that you cannot be afraid to fail. Everyone has failed at something but the most successful people out their learn from their failures. The fourth thing is that you have to put a good team together. I will go into putting a team together in a later chapter. The concept of putting a team together is so that when you don’t know something you have team members that know what to do and can help you with questions. The can also make sure that you are not working yourself to death. You do not want to be the person doing everything in your business. Doing everything is a receipt for failure. You have to put together good people who you can trust and rely on. The fifth thing is that you need a mentor. Sixth and final is the desire to do it. No one can become successful at something if they don’t want to do it and don’t get satisfaction out of what they are doing.

2. Setting Goals

Having goals is one of the most important aspects of achieving what you want in life. You don’t want to just have your goals up in your head you want to write them down and past what you have wrote on the wall somewhere or in the bathroom mirror. You want to review your goals daily and read them out loud to yourself. This way you remind yourself everyday why you are building your business.

How should you start to write down you goals? First off you should think big, and by big I mean HUGE. If your goals are too small you will easily achieve them and have nothing else to look forward too. You should start off by asking yourself the question if I had all the money and time in the world what would I do, what would I buy, how would I spend my time, and how would I spend my energy. Are you starting to write these down? Well you should be. Think about what you want, spending time with family, traveling the world, the best cars, a castle, owning a small country, running for president, having the biggest real estate investing business in your area or in the country. Whatever your dreams and what you want out of your life, write it down. Some of my goals are becoming free, traveling the world, having a Ferrari, having 10 vacation homes all over the world. Right now I am just trying to get you out of your comfort zone of thinking and let your imagination run. Broker Price Opinions Jobs

There are several ways to set goals. I have learned a lot of ways you can set you goals and there is no right or wrong way. The best ways that I have found to set your goals is to break them up into two categories. First your short term goals. This should be goals from a month out to around a year. The second is your long term goals these goals are you think big goals and what you see for your future.

For year one I like to first make a list of what I want to achieve this year and I will give you an example of how to do that. For year one you want to be very specific first you want to list what you want your income to be at the end of the year, next how much cash in the bank you want (this is money in your checking account, not assets). Next you want to list how much you are going to give. Giving is a very important, this can be giving to charity, giving of gifts to friends and family, giving to your school or anything you can dream of. As long as what you give brings joy to others who need it more than you. Next list what bad habits you have that you want to eliminate. Weather is be quitting smoking, spending too much on junk, drinking too much, working too much, not spending enough time with family, too much TV, not exercising and many more. We all have bad habits that need to be changed in order for use to grow as human beings. Under each of these bad habits list out some steps that you can take in order to quit them. If you bad habit is being lazy and not exercising enough what can you do to change that. Well you can get a gym membership or a home work out program. Commit yourself you following through with a plan to work out 3-5 days a week. For you to change these bad habits you have to be totally committed and follow through with a detailed plan you set for yourself. After you have your plans in place you should start listing several things you want to achieve or do in the next year. This can be start a successful business, spend time with family, travel to 2-5 places and so on. Now under each of these you should also write a detailed plan on what you need and what you need to do in order to achieve these goals. Finally you should take all of this information you have a write on page on what you see your life being over the next year. Doing this is a great exercise to really see what you want out of life.

Goals Year One

This is what I am going To Do This Year
Income: 0,000
Cash: 0,000
Give: ,000

Bad Habits that will be changes:

Over Sleeping 1. Go to bed at 11 p.m. 2. Use a timer and set it for 8 hours 3. Set the timer on the other side of the room

Buying things that you don’t need: 1. Going out shopping less 2. If you

“Purchasing real estate with the intent of turning it into an apartment or a house for rent can be an excellent financial decision. When you buy a property with the intent of renting it, however, there are several factors you should take into consideration in order to guarantee the best chance of successfully finding a tenant and making money from your investment.

Assessing Your Goals Before Buying

Before you buy real estate with the intent of renting it out, you need to determine what your goals will be. For example, do you want to create a steady source of income for many years to come or are you looking to sell the real estate for a profit later? If you are looking for a property that you can sell for a profit later, you will want to purchase something that is inexpensive that you can fix up and sell later.

Determining If Your Real Estate Will Be Your Home As Well

When you get into the rental business, you will also need to decide whether or not you will live in the apartment building or housing unit that you purchase. If you do decide to live on that piece of real estate, you will probably be able to get your entire mortgage paid off by your tenants. As such, you will basically be living in your home for free. At the same time, you might prefer to distance yourself from your tenants. In this case, living in the same apartment building or housing unit may not be so desirable.

Choosing the Type of Real Estate You Will Buy

When deciding on the type of real estate you are going to buy, you will need to take some factors into consideration. For example, single-family houses are usually less expensive than apartment complexes since they are so much smaller. At the same time, a house will bring in less income than an apartment complex. Keep in mind that an apartment complex will often require more upkeep than a house as well. Take all of these factors into consideration when deciding on the type of real estate you plan to invest in.

Picking the Right Location for Your Investment

Obviously, when you buy real estate with the intention of renting it out, you want to find property that is desirable. Otherwise, you will have a difficult time finding someone willing to rent it out from you. Therefore, you should select real estate that is in an area where people want to live.

In order to determine if the property is in a good area, consider the available shopping and activities that are near to the property. You should also consider the schools and the crime rate as well as the general attractiveness of the neighborhood.

Unless you are looking for a fixer-upper and you have the time to fix up the home or apartment, you should look for a place that is in good shape. By purchasing a well maintained piece of property in a good location and within your budget, you will be certain to start a solid career as a landlord.”

Real estate investing is the classic wealth vehicle that has taken people from living hand to mouth to the pinnacle of wealth.

It’s the vehicle of choice because it’s accessible to all of us. Everone has a least rented a house or apartment, and most of us have bought a house. So knowing what it’s like to be renter or homeowner we have first hand knowledge of our customers when we set out to be real estate investors.

The classic real estate investing model is buy a bunch of houses, rent them out and in 30 years the mortgages will be paid off, the properties will have at least doubled in value, the rents will be twice what they were when you started … with no loan payment.

The goal sounds inspiring. Imagine having 10 properties you bought 30 years ago, each for $80,000, now be worth $350,000 apiece as a result of a average annual appreciation rate of 5%. You would have a portfolio worth about $3,500,000. Monthly rents, on the low side, of $1,200 per house would give you gross monthly rents of $12,000. After T&I you probably put $9,000 in your pocket.

I think you would agree this is an extremely modest goal, but what a payoff!!

What a payoff indeed … for those who actually stick with it. You see there’s a problem with the above scenario, and that is the early years are really tough.

Cashflow is slim, expenses are high, and most investors who take this on don’t make it through.

They run out of cash.

The short-term solution is to change your focus from buying and holding to quick-turning houses for cash. Quick-turning houses, getting them under contract super cheap and flipping them to another investor for $5-20,000 or more will take care of your cashflow needs today while you hold your rental properties for long term growth. This is great … money, cash!

But you are not out of the woods yet.

Your new short-term problem is management. If you are buying houses to hold for the long term you must be prepared for the fact that you will be managing them yourself, whether you take on that job as an individual or create a management company to do it. The fact remains that at some point your occupation will change from real estate investor to landlord.

And I’m afraid gentle reader, landlording is dirty, smelly business. One you do not want to be in.

There are worse things in life than being a landlord, most definitely, but that’s not why you got into real estate. You got into real estate because you want the big dollars. The really big ones. The ‘buy your own island’ big dollars, the ‘house on each continent’ kind of dollars. The nine figure net worth.

Didn’t you?

That net worth is available, in fact it’s waiting for you to claim it, but you won’t achieve the growth necessary to get there buying single family homes. As a growth vehicle they are very inefficient.

From a real estate investing standpoint the purpose of a single family home is to give you experience doing deals, and to take care of your immediate cash needs.

After you’ve paid off all your debts, have 12 months living expenses in the bank, and have a kitty of say, $100,000 to $200,000 there isn’t much further use for single family homes.

Unless, of course, you want to be a landlord.

As soon as you are debt free and have some starting capital you should move straight into buying apartments.

There is all kinds of leverage to be achieved by changing your wealth vehicle from single family houses to apartment buildings.

- from a value standpoint when buying apartments you are dealing with much bigger dollars, so as the years go by, you make more through appreciation.

- apartments have a much higher rent per square foot compared to houses, so property management can be brought in take management out of your hands in a cost effective manner.

- apartment buildings make sense from a business standpoint so it is no difficult to attract partner capital. – there is an abundance of apartment financing available from lenders up to 80% loan to value.

- there are many profit centers, like repairing units and increasing rents, filling vancancies, that can be capitalized on to capture upside value.

Also, because apartments are not reliant on your personal attention and can be effectively managed by property management companies you are not restricted to buying in your own local market.

By becoming aware of market cycles and tracking them closely, you can buy quality properties in any market in the US at the bottom of a cycle, and ride the appreciation to the top of the market, where you sell (or exchange out) and take huge profits.

Of course, providing you live in a market (like CA) that appreciates rapidly in an up cycle, you can achieve this with single familiy houses too. But which property would you rather have appreciating at 15% a year, a $300,000 house, or a $10,000,000 apartment building.

After 10 years a $300,000 house will turn into $1.33M. Nothing to sneeze at. But during the same 10 years in the same market a $10M apartment building will turn into $44.4M.

Which would you rather have?

It’s an easy choice, and one you simply need to make.