Published January 19, 2021

Navigating the Real Estate Market as a New Investor

Staff Writer

Content Specialist at Effective Agents

While real estate investing can be an excellent way to see high returns on your initial investment or earn passive income, it’s overwhelming to know where to begin in the industry. To prepare yourself, there are some general things to know and keep in mind.

Think About How You Want to Invest

Real estate investing is a very broad term, and it can refer to a lot of different specific ways of investing. For example, there are options like commercial real estate, flipping houses, and buying properties to rent them out, to name a few. If you have a general direction, it can help you move more in the ideal and specific direction. You should learn at least a bit about the pros and cons of each before making a decision. As you decide, consider larger economic factors affecting real estate, but also factors more specific to your local area. For example, what is the rental market like versus the market for selling properties? Where is there more of a need you could fill?

Learn as Much as You Can

When you’re new to real estate investing, it’s valuable to have at least topical knowledge of as many of the concepts as you can. You should go beyond that and try and become an expert in your particular investment vehicle, and the market where you’re investing. Jumping in without taking the time necessary to learn can derail you and lead to costly mistakes. A lot of people incorrectly assume investing in real estate is about instinct, and that’s rarely the case. There are so many ways you can learn about investing in real estate, so find a format that works for you. For example, there are online guides, there are podcasts, blogs, and of course, books. Maybe you sample a little of everything. When you’re learning about investing, it’ll help you get a better grasp of the potential risks. That’s important because one of the biggest mistakes many investors make is not fully assessing or understanding the risks of their decisions.

Build Relationships

Along with being knowledgeable, building relationships is one of the most important things to work on as you become an investor. Even before you’ve made an actual financial investment, start thinking about networking and relationship-building. In the early days, think about focusing your efforts on networking with other investors, specifically in your market. Not only can you learn from their knowledge and expertise, but they may be able to point you in the direction of other resources that could be useful to you, such as groups or meetups people participate in.

Work Every Day

If you’re starting in real estate investing you may also be working your day job, but you should still plan to be consistent and also put in work toward your investment objectives every day. Nothing is built overnight, and it takes steady effort and dedication. Maybe you read something new each day or start browsing properties in your area and analyzing them. Just take relevant action. Finally, find people and experts who can help you. Maybe you find help in the form of a legal professional, a mentor who is an expert investor, or a Realtor®. Maybe you have a network of several people who can help you, but it’s better to have people you can turn to with questions or concerns early-on so you can tap into the value of other people’s expertise. If you’d like to connect with an expert realtor® in your market or area, consider EffectiveAgents.com Photo Credit: collov-home-design-Z5071-fNXOI-unsplash

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