Three Essential Things to Consider Before Investing in Real Estate
Before you make an investment, you want to feel good about your decision and ensure that you have no regrets in the future. Given that there are so many different ways you can invest your money, sometimes the whole process becomes rather overwhelming.
Nevertheless, one of the soundest investments you can make is within the real estate market. Unlike more volatile markets, such as the stock exchange or crypto-currency market, the value of real estate tends to increase alongside inflation. If you choose wisely, and find the perfect property, the return on your investment could be extremely cost-effective.
If you are thinking of jumping onto the property ladder, here are three essential things to consider before you invest in real estate.
What’s Your Budget?
Before you even begin to look at properties to invest in, you must establish your budget and how much you are willing, or able, to spend. There’s nothing worse than falling in love with properties that are over budget and the golden rule when it comes to investing is that you should never give away more than you are willing to lose. It is hard to lose money in the real estate market, however, there is always a possibility.
When you are calculating your budget, you shouldn’t forget to factor in hidden costs, such as agency fees, bank fees, taxes, and even potential renovation or furniture costs. Once you know how much money you can put towards the property, you can begin to look at options in terms of both space and location.
Why Are You Investing?
The next crucial question you should consider before investing in real estate is your reason for doing so. Some people choose to buy a property for self-use, whilst others may do so to rent it out. Similarly, some investors will simply want to buy a home to resell the place for a higher value. This can be done over a long-term or short-term basis.
If you want to use the house yourself, you will cut down on costs like rent whilst also getting a return on your money via the property’s value appreciation. Secondly, if you want to lease your property, you will be gaining a regular income as well as some long-term value appreciation. However, as a landlord, you may need to handle repair work and legal issues with tenants.
Lastly, some buyers want to purchase a property that needs renovation work to fix it up and resell it for a higher price. All are valuable reasons for investing and they each come with their fair share of advantages and disadvantages.
Buying a run-down home and renovating it in order to re-sell the property for a higher value is more commonly known as “flipping” a house. There is a great opportunity to make money whilst flipping homes but of course, this process is much more time-consuming and labor-intensive than other forms of real estate investment.
Where Do You Want to Invest?
As you have probably heard, when you are going to invest in the real estate market, one of the most valuable factors of a property is its location. The location of your property is highly dependent on the two previous questions we asked you to consider – your budget and your reason for investment.
If you are looking to buy a property to rent it out, you may consider looking at Langley real estate which has a high suburban population. If you simply wanted to buy, renovate, and then sell a home, you would consider looking at run-down properties in highly esteemed neighborhoods.
Adversely, if you were looking to live in your property, you would probably value the home itself more than its actual location. For example, if you have a budget of half a million dollars, you probably won’t get great value for your money in a city like New York. Whereas $500,000 in New York could land you a small one-bedroom condo, the same money in Alabama could buy you a six-bedroom ranch.
Investing in the real estate market is a very large financial commitment, so you’re going to want to feel good about your decision. With the right research, guidance, and property, we are sure that you won’t regret the choice you make. Whether you are investing as a first-timer or simply adding another property to your portfolio, don’t rush into any decisions. Consult with experts in the sector and make sure you are comfortable with your investment.