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Smaller, investment properties, often, offer, significant financial/ economic benefits, in terms of creating a combination of asset growth, return – on – investment, and some degree of safety! However, this is true, only, if, the purchaser, first, thoroughly, understands, what to seek, and why! Different potential properties, have, varying, potential, for optimal performance, etc! While, everyone, cannot, consistently, take care of, afford, or get involved, in major real estate deals/ purchases, far more, are able to take advantage of smaller properties, etc. These vehicles, often, include, one, to four, family/ unit, houses, and, while some, offer, attractive investments, others, may not, always! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 4 significant, meaningful, main/ essential considerations, and evaluations.

1. Cash flow: Cash flow, when it comes to these, usually, refers to, the difference, between, the funds/ revenues, received, and the monthly costs. It is important to consider these, in a conservative manner, by, basing evaluations, not, on the highest, potential rent – rolls, but, by market – based rents, and, no more than 75% occupancy (to avoid, a potential, cash – crush, if there are any interruptions, due to a variety of possibilities/ contingencies). In addition, the investor, must, be careful, to ensure, his personal cash flow, doesn’t suffer, by using too high a percentage of his reserves, for up – front costs, as well as creating reserves, etc!

2. Area/ neighborhood/ local market: Before, making – the – leap, thoroughly, consider, and evaluate, local real estate market conditions, and discover, the marketplace, for rentals, in terms of, availability, demand, advantages, and/ or, disadvantages! Thoroughly, know the specific area, and determine, if it offers, the best scenario, for you, and your priorities and purposes!

3. The 6% Rule: Many pay close attention to, what is often, referred to, as the 6% Rule, when it comes, to purchasing, smaller, investment properties. This means, three – quarters, of a realistic rent – roll, must achieve, at least, a six percent profit. Expenses, must include: mortgage – related expenses, including principal, interest, taxes, and escrow; landlord – paid utilities; repairs; renovations; upgrades, and reserves, etc.

4. Property condition: Understand, the existing condition, of the subject property, and, what, will need to be addressed, immediately, on an intermediate – basis, and in the longer – run. Reserve funds, must be used, and prepared, for as many contingencies, as foreseeable, etc! On the other hand, don’t be, overly – influenced, by staging, and overestimating, rent – rolls!

After, over 15 years, as a Real Estate Licensed Salesperson, in the State of New York, I believe, strongly, in the possibilities, and advantages of investing in smaller, investment properties, but, only, when, this is done, carefully, and in a focused manner! The smarter, you proceed, the better – off, you will be!

In, nearly – every financial area, it seems, some people seek to attempt to proceed, with a greater advantage, hoping to time, the specific component, in order to, hopefully, buy – low, and, sell – high! We often witness this behavior, regarding real estate buying and selling, especially, residential transactions! When prices seem to be trending, up, especially, in recent days, when we have seen a record – pace, of price increases, more individuals seem to be getting involved, in what is referred to as, flipping a property, which means, buying a particular house, at a perceived, opportunistic price, and making some, predominantly, cosmetic changes, and selling it, soon, at a profit! After, over 15 years, as a Real Estate Licensed Salesperson, in the State of New York, I have witnessed, this process, being successful, as well as, considerably – less, so! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 4 reasons, most people shouldn’t try to market – time, real estate.

1. You can’t predict the future, consistently, and/ or, accurately!: If, we had a Crystal Ball, perhaps, we would become, more capable of accurately, and consistently, predicting the future, including, relating to house prices! Since, historically, these prices have tended to be cyclical, it is challenging, to know, when this might, make sense! Obviously, every financial strategy/ action, should be considered, on a risk/ reward basis, and only those, who are ready, willing, and able to handle the uncertainties, stresses, and potential losses, should attempt to flip – a – house!

2. Several (not just – one) factors impact real estate, including pricing: No one factor determines, how prices, will move! Some of the factors, include: interest rates (including mortgage rates and terms, etc); Supply and Demand; seller and buyer perceptions; confidence! We have experienced, a prolonged period, of record – low, interest rates, and corresponding, mortgage terms! When this occurs, more people qualify for a mortgage, thus, increasing, demand. Perhaps, the biggest factor, is Supply and Demand, and, when the supply is lower than the demand, prices go up! One factor is based on emotions, and thus, the perceptions of both, buyers and sellers! Overall consumer confidence influences many people’s mindsets, and, that impacts the overall market!

3. Different factors do not always work, in sync!: When mortgages are easy and cheaper, to get, prices usually go up! When confidence is high, and inventory, low, it, generally, causes an upward trend! However, those factors, which tend to increase, and/ or, decrease house prices, often, may not align, and so, the overall trends, becomes more challenging, to predict!

4. Relationship between home sellers, and qualified, potential home buyers: In general, when demand is great, there are more, qualified, potential buyers, than, houses – for – sale (inventory)! The opposite set, of conditions, usually creates a so – called, Buyers Market. At times, we witness a neutral set of conditions!

For most, trying to market – time, real estate, is speculative, and risky! Like, any, other financial asset, proceed with an open – mind, and, in a well – considered manner!

Real estate commission is the way in which real estate agents are paid for the services they provide. They receive a percentage of the price received for the property. Effectively, the real estate agent requires the seller of a property (the vendor) to sign over to the real estate agent a part of the property being sold.

Another way of looking at it is to say that the real estate agent, through the wording of the listing contract, effectively has his name added to the title deed of the vendor’s property, so that the real estate agent becomes a part-owner of the property. When the property sells, the real estate agent receives a payment that represents his share in the vendor’s property.

Most readers will be aware of the arguments in favour of real estate sale commissions, so I won’t discuss those here. My focus is on the ways in which the sale process can be skewed against all parties involved, when the motivation to win a commission takes precedence over more important considerations.

Commission is a “winner-takes-all, loser gets nothing” situation. This increases the pressure on the real estate agent to secure a sale. Time is also a problem. If the real estate agent cannot secure a sale within a time acceptable to the vendor, the vendor may take the property off the market, or away from the real estate agent’s agency. This will result in a total loss for the real estate agent.

Finally, the vendor becomes an obstacle between the real estate agent and his commission goal. In order to receive payment for his share of the vendor’s property, the real estate agent must receive an offer to purchase within the available time, but the offer must be accepted by the vendor. If the vendor decides that the offer is not acceptable, then the real estate agent loses.

In order to win the gambling game that is real estate sales, the real estate agent may decide to tip the odds in his favour – and there are numerous ways in which this can be done.

At the listing stage the real estate agent may use improper means to win the listing contract. These include over-quoting on valuation, and offering dodgy sales figures.

During the sale process the real estate agent may be tempted to tell potential purchasers things that are untrue. I have seen many sale contracts with clauses designed to protect real estate agents against the consequences of false statements. Known as “porkies clauses”, they invariably state that the purchaser acknowledges that any information provided to the purchaser by the real estate agent is provided on the understanding that the purchaser will not be relying on it for any purpose.

When a purchaser has submitted an offer, and the purchaser cannot be convinced to increase her offer, the real estate agent may be tempted to pressure the vendor into accepting what would otherwise be unacceptable. Observations, such as “the market has softened” or “the market has spoken to us” are used by real estate agents to convince vendors that the real estate agent’s high estimation of value can no longer be relied upon, and that the vendor should now accept what the vendor believes is an unacceptably low offer.

For some years now, I have been arguing that real estate services should be provided on a fee-for-service basis.

I will explore the replacement of real estate sale commissions with a fee-for-service structure further in future articles.

The Alternative Minimum Tax is a very important consideration for taxpayers who own real estate because just about every tax rule applying to real estate is different for the AMT than it is for the Regular Tax. This article on Real Estate and the AMT will address those situations where the individual holds the real estate as an investment, typically as rental property. The differences in tax treatment between the Regular Tax and the AMT can be significant.

Interest expense

Interest paid on the mortgage taken out to acquire the property is fully deductible, both for the Regular Tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax. Unlike itemized deductions that allow a tax benefit for what amounts to personal expenses, the tax law generally allows all deductions a taxpayer has to make in the pursuit of business income. Thus, the limitations discussed in the previous article on home mortgage interest do not apply.

If, however, the equity in the rental property is used as security for an additional loan – a second mortgage, for example – then the taxpayer must look to how the proceeds of that loan are used to determine interest deductibility. If the proceeds are used for a car loan or to finance a child’s education, for example, then the interest is nondeductible personal interest. If the proceeds are used to improve the rental property, the interest is deductible.

Suggestion – it is best that taxpayers keep personal borrowings separate from business borrowings. Mixing the two creates recordkeeping challenges and can result in disputes with the IRS.

Property taxes

Property taxes paid on rental or investment property are allowed in full both for Regular Tax purposes as well as for the Alternative Minimum Tax.

Planning idea – if you have an opportunity to pay your property tax bill either this year or next, pay it in a year when you have enough income from the property so as not to generate a rental loss. This strategy can help avoid triggering the passive activity loss limitations described below.

Example – in Florida property tax bills are mailed in October, and are payable under the following discount schedule: November – 4%, December – 3%, January – 2%, February – 1%. If you have a loss from the property in 2010 but expect to generate income in 2011, do not pay your bill in November or December – forgoing that small discount could help you avoid the loss-limitation rules.

Depreciation

Depreciation is allowed for property held for investment. The portion of the cost allocable to land is not depreciable, but for the building itself and the furniture, appliances, carpeting, etc. a depreciation deduction may be taken.

Real property (this is the legal definition of the house or other building) held for rental/investment may only be depreciated for Regular Tax purposes under the “straight-line” method, over a useful life of 27.5 years. Thus, a property with $275,000 allocated to the building would be depreciated at the rate of $10,000 per year.

Personal property (this is the legal definition of things such as furniture, appliances, carpeting and the like) may be depreciated for Regular Tax purposes under an “accelerated” method over a useful life of five years. An accelerated method allows a larger depreciation deduction in the early years, in recognition of an obsolescence or decline-in-value factor that you see in new property (cars are a good example).

For purposes of the AMT, however, personal property may be depreciated only by using a straight-line method. Thus, an AMT item will be generated in the early years if the accelerated method is used.

Planning idea – for personal property consider electing the straight-line method for Regular Tax purposes. While giving up a little tax benefit from the greater depreciation in the early years, it could mean avoiding paying the AMT.

Active/passive investment rules and the “at-risk” rules

A taxpayer who is not “active” in managing investment property may not use losses from rental property to offset other income such as salaries and wages, dividends, interest, capital gains, etc. Instead, these losses are deferred until the taxpayer either sells the property or generates passive income from this or other passive investment sources.

The at-risk rules similarly deny using these types of losses to the extent the taxpayer has acquired the investment with borrowed money and does not have personal liability on the debt.

Planning idea

If these loss limitations apply, consider the planning ideas mentioned above to minimize the losses being generated each year. They are not doing you any good anyway.

Sale of the property

Several different AMT issues can arise on the sale of rental/investment property. One is that your gain or loss may be different for the AMT than it is for Regular Tax purposes. This would be caused if different depreciation methods were used. For example, if the personal property was depreciated using an accelerated method for Regular Tax purposes, then the basis in that property when calculating gain or loss on sale would be different because the straight-line method had to be used for Alternative Minimum Tax purposes.

Gain on the sale of investment property generally is capital gain, although a portion may be treated as ordinary income depending on the accelerated depreciation method was used. Capital gains in and of themselves are not an AMT item, but nonetheless they can result in AMT being paid. This is because the AMT exemption amount is phased out for taxpayers at certain income levels, so this additional income can have the result of reducing the exemption which in turn increases taxable income for purposes of the Alternative Minimum Tax.

If you are looking for a great way of building your net worth, investing in real estate is a great idea. You can make a lot of money if you do it the right way. However, if you don’t follow the right techniques, this venture can cost you a lot of money. Therefore, we have shared a few tips with you that can help you achieve success as a real estate investor.

Opt for a Good Location

Location is the first thing that people consider when they need to buy a residential, vocational or commercial properly. Ideally, the property you are going to buy should be near a workplace and school. Similarly, if it’s close to the marketplace, people can go there without burning a lot of gas or killing a lot of time. Therefore, it’s much better to choose a better location.

Upgrade or Renovate Your Property

It’s better that you upgrade your property features to make it more appealing. For instance, you may add home automation, such as automated lighting. The same is true about commercial real estate as well.

If you offer wheelchair lifts, for instance, it can make your property more useful for people with disabilities. This will attract many more buyers. Actually, it all depends upon how convenient your property is. If your property offers features that can help people make their lives easier, more people will show their interest in what you offer.

Improve Property Conditions

More buyers will contact you if your house or apartment is well maintained. However, make sure you don’t go beyond the limits. In other words, you may not want to spend an arm and a leg just to make your property more beautiful. It won’t increase the value of your property exponentially. Although it may be worth it in certain situations, spending too much is not a good idea.

Let’s take a look at a few tips that can help you make your property well-maintained.

Kitchen: if you do it right, your kitchen can increase the value of your property by up to 80%. Therefore, if you renovate your kitchen by spending $15,000, you can sell your house at 80% higher price.

Plumbing: we all need clean running water. Keep in mind that rusty pipes pose a health hazard in addition to reducing the beauty of your house.

Landscaping: If you maintain your landscape properly, it can add ambience to your house or apartment. In addition, landscaping helps reduce your energy bills.

Do Your Research

Make sure you consider the type of people that you think will be suitable if you want to sell or rent your house. If you want to get the highest return on your investment, make sure you contact the right people. Otherwise, you won’t be able to earn a lot of profit or find good buyers. Opting for the right clients can help you find a great deal.

Conclusion

So, these are a few tips that you can follow if you want to get the most out of your investment. Hopefully, you will find these tips pretty helpful.