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Investment Property Buying 101

Happy Couple with Woman Holding KeysIf you’ve been trying to find a stable, long-term investment in Smith Mountain Lake, residential rental homes may perhaps be the investment you’ve been waiting for. Although buying an investment property is greatly different from purchasing a residence. You will need to understand plenty of things to secure that your first investment property is a total success. To get you started, we’ve expounded on the elements of buying investment property for you. By having this guide, you can more certainly, and with confidence, locate and buy your first residential rental property.

How It Works

The perception of buying an investment property is a pretty straightforward one: investors purchase a property with the desire to lease it to a tenant. This buy-and-hold model is indeed among the most widely known styles that real estate investors use to set up their property portfolios. But know for certain, there are a lot of important differences between buying a primary residence (in which you hope to live) and buying a rental property.

One serious mistake a first-time investor makes is to purchase a property they’ve wished and would desire to reside in. This can cause poor decision-making, precisely if you find yourself emotionally attached to a particular house. But rather, investors effectively use a set of calculations and market comparisons to discover and evaluate properties to buy. Some of the figures you’ll want to know include the fair market value, the fair market rent, and your expected return on investment (ROI). By examining comparable properties in the neighborhood, as well as current rentals, you should be able to easily distinguish which properties have the potential to be profitable rentals and which ones should be clearly avoided.

An additional way that buying an investment property is way different from buying a primary residence is financing. Financing an investment property can be a more complicated challenge considering that various lenders will want upwards of 20% down on any mortgage. You will equally want to see to it that you have cash on hand in excess of your down payment to cover closing costs, repairs, and costs related to preparing the rental and finding your first tenant. Precisely why, it’s relevant to start the financing process at the earliest opportunity so instantly when you know the rental property you’ve been hoping for, you can move easily and speedily to make it yours.

What to Look For

One key feature of a great rental property is that it certainly meets a very specific set of criteria or a list of features. These criteria should compose the location, size, amenities, and condition of the property and details referring to the local rental market. You ought to know what type of people are renting single-family homes in your chosen area and what they are wanting for in a rental home. By researching and discussing with rental property experts, real estate agents, and other housing market experts, you can have a clue as to who your potential renters will be and what type of property will best accomplish their needs.

Subsequently, the hunt for bargains begins! To maximize your monthly cash flows and, at a later time, your resale value, rental property investors normally look for properties sold below market value. But on the other hand, this may suggest that the property is older or needs so many renovations and repairs. Bear in mind to calculate the costs of these repairs into your operating budget.

How Long Does It Take?

There is no set time for buying a property. Indeed, some investors will spend as little as a few months finding and totally completing their purchase, even while for others, the process may take over a year from beginning to end. The average time to close on a mortgage in 2020 was about 60 days, however, that does not encompass the time spent looking for the right property. Your buying process may be longer or shorter, according to a wide range of variables.

The most important thing to remember is that you should avoid rushing the process or feeling pressured to obtain the first property you discover due to the fact that you have some deadline set for yourself. Each property purchase is not the same, and every once in a while finding the right property takes a little bit of time. But, take note, taking the time to crunch the numbers, find the right bargain, and doing things correctly is significantly more likely to turn things out really well for you.

If you are in the market for your first investment property, you want the right experts on your team. Why not give Real Property Management Cairn a call? Our team of Smith Mountain Lake property managers helps investors determine fair market rent, perform comprehensive assessments on potential rentals, and even help you locate off-market deals. The more you have the proper know-how going into your first deal, the more assuredly you can become a successful rental property owner. Contact us today!

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