Buying real estate can be confusing and time consuming. It is often hard to know which factors are important when looking at a property and it can be difficult to get a good deal on the purchase price. This article contains some helpful tips to make buying real estate less stressful.
Investing in real estate in this market can still make you money. With prices well below the cost to replace the building it has shifted to a buy & hold strategy rather than the fast flipping of previous years. But there are some fantastic bargains available now from their peak prices of 2006.
Commercial Real Estate
One important tip to remember when investing in commercial real estate is to try to avoid the most common first purchase – apartments. This is important because of over saturation as well as the possibility for a much higher profit elsewhere. Try to pick a specialty property that is unique to you.
For Sale By Owner
If you’re an experienced investor, consider “for sale by owner” properties. For sale by owner properties often present an excellent investment opportunity for investors who are familiar with the purchase process, and who would prefer to save on agent commissions. There are many different ways to structure a FSBO deal; it’s a matter of finding the one that works best for you.
Foreclosed Homes
For both sellers and buyers make sure that you always gather data about things. Look at the newspaper in that area for things like foreclosed homes, current and historic median selling prices and also how long homes are staying on the market. Also look up things like unemployment rate and crime rates for the area.
Property
If you are planning on making improvements to a property after purchase, have several professionals in that line of work come and give you quotes before you close the deal. You may be able to factor some of these costs in at closing and/or get a credit towards your purchase from the seller.
Property For Sale
Find a great neighborhood and then investigate all potential properties. If you find an up and coming neighborhood where property values are on the rise, investigate every property for sale and consider purchasing the lowest priced one. The advantage is this: If you find that the two lowest priced properties in a neighborhood are priced at $150,000 and $170,000 ” buy the $150,000 property and you can place it immediately on the market for $165,000. This gives you an excellent short term investment that will require little to no work on your end, other than arranging the financing and finding a selling agent.
Real Estate Listings
Even though it is very easy to search for real estate listings on the internet, it is still in your best interest to hire an agent to work with you. The agent will be able to answer many questions that you may have, handle the paperwork and analyze data that you would have no idea needed to by analyzed.
As described at the beginning of this article, buying real estate can be draining. Hopefully the tips presented above will increase your knowledge of the real estate market and help make your search for the perfect property easier, while also enabling you to acquire your chosen property for a reasonable price.