Is there one best way to learn how to become a real estate investor? The answer is a simple no. Becoming a real estate investor in today’s real estate market is not easy, but it’s a very profitable career path. Ask any investor and they’ll tell you that it’s definitely worth it! If you’re just starting out in real estate, use these 6 tips to learn how to become a real estate investor.
How to Become a Real Estate Investor: It’s Never Too Early
It really is never too early to become a real estate investor. Some investors even start planning their real estate careers while in college. Financing is usually the tricky part when thinking of how to become a real estate investor, but there are many tips and resources on how to invest in real estate with little or no money. If you know this is the path for you, start as early as you can!
Related: Becoming a Real Estate Investor Right After College: Investing in Real Estate With No Money
How to Become a Real Estate Investor: Understand and Research the Market
Among the first things you need to do when learning how to become a real estate investor is understanding and researching the market. The US real estate market is quite complex in nature. But as with any other profession, you’re going to have to keep up with the latest trends and news on the national real estate market. There are plenty of resources online including sites like Mashvisor, Investopedia, Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor. Your real estate investment network (see below) can also offer you insights on information on current real estate market trends, demand, consumer habits, legal matters, mortgage rates, among other elements. Soon enough, and as you gain further experience in real estate, you’ll be able to identify and analyze this information on your own.
Related: What Are the Expected Residential Real Estate Trends in the US Housing Market for 2018?
How to Become a Real Estate Investor: Build Your Real Estate Network
Any successful real estate investor knows that building and maintaining a real estate network is an important part of the profession. Your real estate network includes anyone from other investors, to real estate agents, realtors, brokers, lawyers, potential tenants, partners, among others. You never know who of these will be a great resource in helping you with finances, finding a profitable investment property, a good tenant, etc.
Work with these connections that you make to gain knowledge and experience in real estate. You’ll be surprised by how much you can learn from other professionals’ experience. We also recommend looking into real estate partnerships, especially if you’re just starting out in real estate. Real estate partnerships give you the opportunity to work with other investor/s, learn from them, and make (easier) profit.
How to Become a Real Estate Investor: Treat Real Estate Investing Like a Business
We can never highlight this tip enough. Some investors choose to view the career solely as closing consecutive deals, but it’s not quite just that. As with any other business, you need to design short, medium, and long term plans. Set goals and tactics to achieve these goals. Speaking more broadly, you need to have a business plan. The more defined your plans and goals are, the easier it is to achieve them. You also need to consider your financing options. How will you finance your investment property? How will you save money to buy your first investment property? These are all questions you need to consider when learning how to become a real estate investor.
How to Become a Real Estate Investor: Where to Invest in Real Estate
If we say “Location is key” one more time…but it is! Location really matters in real estate investing because it sets out what your investment plans will look like. The US real estate market is so diverse depending on where you look. When thinking about how to become a real estate investor, ask yourself: Are you planning on investing in the city/state you reside in or are you investing out of state?
Orlando, Dallas, Seattle, Nashville, and Atlanta are currently among the best places to invest in the US real estate market according to Mashvisor’s analytical data. Conversely, we wouldn’t recommend investing in Pueblo, Colorado, Anchorage, Alaska, or Honolulu, Hawaii. But it’s still not as simple as this. While some areas can be great for traditional investments, they can be tricky for other types of investment such as Airbnb. It’s important to mention that if you’re pursuing an Airbnb investment strategy, you should avoid Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbra, Denver, New York City, and Atlanta due to the different Airbnb legal issues currently ongoing in these cities.
So how can you know where best to invest? Read: How Do You Find the Best Places to Invest in Property in the US Real Estate Market?
How to Become a Real Estate Investor: Use Mashvisor!
Once you’ve decided on a city/area to invest in, it’s time to find the best and most profitable investment property. In comes Mashvisor.
Mashvisor’s investment property calculator helps you find the most profitable traditional and Airbnb locations. You can easily obtain information on CoC return, cap rate, occupancy rate, rental income, NOI, ROI, best neighborhoods to invest in, among other real estate indicators. This also means you no longer have to worry about using spreadsheets, making investing in real estate easier and smarter. Finally, make sure to check out Mashvisor’s Knowledge Center for more blogs and resources for beginner and expert real estate investing tips to learn how to become a real estate investor.
How to Become a Real Estate Investor: What’s the Best Way?
The answer is simple: There’s no one best way to become a real estate investor. But we know one thing for sure: the earlier you start, the more experience you will gain in the field, and the quicker you’ll learn how to become a real estate investor. And remember, anything profitable is worth working hard for!