Thursday, 29 December 2011

Is Investing In Real Estate A Good Idea?

By Reginald Branarll


At a time where the economy is posing challenges for everyone, investments need to be chosen carefully. Investing in real estate is a lot safe compared to stock and currency market.

Real estate investments offer attractive returns with multiple income streams. The most common source of revenue is rent and the term that is used to define it is rental yield. Even during inflation, the rent increases and hence the income. And because it continues to generate revenue without much maintenance, reinvesting and selling property is easy. Also, you can obtain a higher credit from mortgaged property.

For those who are not thorough with other investment vectors, real estate investments can easily work. It's not rocket science.

But not all have enough money to buy whole properties. You can always leverage or buy on credit. Getting housing loans is another strategy. However, REITs or Real Estate Investment Trusts have been the more popular option for some years. Real Estate Investment Trusts acquire commercial real estates. Like mutual funds, there are people who manage these trusts. When purchasing REIT shares, you become part owner of the properties they manage, thus, being part owner of the real estate. So, if the trust owns a skyscraper, you get to own a share as well.

Just like stocks, REITs pay dividends and you can even sell of your share when it appreciates in value. The law requires REITs to pay their investors more than 90% of their profits. For example, if you want to purchase shares in Dallas real estate, look for REI trusts that hold estates in Dallas.

Flipping houses is another way to make money through real estate. It involves buying a house, letting it appreciate in value and selling it for a profit. Of course, you need to have the money to buy houses and even spend some on doing repairs and upkeep. Also, since the economy is cyclical, so too is this type of business. During a boom, it's easier to sell a house but more expensive to buy one. During a bust period, houses are a bit cheaper however; properties may sit in the market for months before someone buys from you.

If you do not have enough cash, there is buying and selling on the margin. This means getting a financier or a loan from a broker to buy real estate. The bulk of money comes from the broker or financier, and you can invest with as small as possible. You can learn about real estate deals and processes through online realtor sites. Search online with the relevant location, like a search for Dallas realtors or Dallas real estate will return relevant results for Dallas.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment