When it comes to investing in real estate, most people look at owning their primary residence with the hope and confidence the value of the property will rise in time as they build equity in their investment.
It’s a sound and fairly safe way to grow your investment if you keep your eye on the long-term. But for many novices they’re likely not aware growing an investment in real estate can take many other forms-everything from renting out a property or a vacation home to buying a home, fixing it up and selling it for a higher price to investing in a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).
As with any investment, each approach carries with it different risks–so you’ll want to thoroughly research your options to ensure you’re investing your money responsibly and strategically.
Realizing the dream of homeownership has proven over the years, decades and decades, to be one of the best investments available to Canadians. If you look historically and you had X number of dollars to put in a downpayment . . . what you put down and what you paid, your investment has outperformed most other vehicles that are available to Canadians, people are paying down their mortgage while the property value rises so they’re winning on both ways.
Another key point is you hear people talk about the stock market and mutual funds and RRSPs as go-to things. And sure there’s returns there and yields. But you can’t live in a mutual fund. So not only are you getting appreciation and a tremendous return on your initial investment but it’s actually serving two purposes-it’s a secure investment and it’s housing.
There are many vehicles available for investing from the novice first time trying to figure out a secondary home and starting small to sophisticated investors, conglomerates, REITs, whatever the case may be.
For example, many people buy properties to rent out. In this regard, the property value can appreciate over time but also you’re generating revenue.
One of the key things to consider when buying rental properties is the financial costs including mortgage payment and paying for utilities to taxes. And of course, unless you’re hiring someone to take care of the property you do have responsibilities as a landlord you might personally have to handle.
It’s relatively simple to make money using real estate as the investment asset whether it’s speculation buying and flipping a home or investing sweat equity and flipping.
Simple in that you don’t require a lot of specialized knowledge so you don’t have to go to school for anything. You don’t need a qualification. But with that said it’s not easy in that you do still have to treat it like a business so you really need to be aware of the numbers involved,
That’s really important when it comes to real estate flipping. The homework required here is to make sure you understand what exactly is selling in that neighbourhood, what the current trends are in that neighbourhood and whether or not what you propose fits in with those two current snapshots.
Timing is also important. It can make the difference in achieving a great return or losing on your investment.
You can make money on rental purchases as long as you have a cash flow positive budget sheet. If you don’t and if there isn’t enough wiggle room in that budget then you’re buying a property that’s priced too high for you and you need to actually rethink your strategy. It’s still a good strategy but consider a lower price point. Even if you get lower rent all of those numbers have to make sense.
We advise people to save up a larger down payment and look for a multi-unit property to buy whether it’s a house that can be divided into two units or a triplex. That spreads your risk with more rental revenue. REITs are incredible vehicles and they can be a great gateway into real estate investment.
It does give you a better idea of how extraordinary real estate investments can be. They can be fantastic holdings. It also helps you diversify a little bit. REITs are for those who really wants to get into real estate investing but doesn’t want to do the work. That’s not a negative. Not everyone has time to do all the investigation and crunch the math and make sure you have cash flow positive.
Whether you’re a novice or a sophisticated and experienced investor, the real estate industry presents a golden opportunity to invest your money and grow that investment if one takes the time to research the many vehicles available.
Pilon Real Estate Group Featured Listings: Click here!
We Keep You Covered When You Buy a Home With Our 12 Month Buyer Protection Plan!
Details at: www.HomeBuyerProtectionPlan.ca
Free Home Search With Proprietary MLS Access – New Listings – Faster Updates And More Accurate Data!
Find Homes Now: www.FindOttawaHomesForSale.com
Find Out How We Get Our Sellers More: Click here!
RE/MAX Hallmark Pilon Group Realty
www.PilonGroup.com
Email: Info@PilonGroup.com
Direct: 613.909.8100
