Real Estate Investing 101
Comments Off on Real Estate Investing 101Are you putting all of your eggs in one basket? What is the first rule of thumb your financial advisor will work hard to instill into your investing DNA? Diversify your assets! Parents often gloat when they feel their kids are well-rounded; the same holds true for your investments. In theory, a portfolio with stocks in multiple sectors can better withstand one industry tanking, if another sector rises.
Investors encouraged to pick investments that are a comfortably balanced between risk and reward. Have you considered real estate investments? Do you currently own some assets and want to expand your portfolio?
Income-producing assets can offer a nice diversification play to your portfolio. The bullet points below highlight the key perks to real estate investing.
- Appreciation: Similar to other investments, you are aiming to buy low and sell high. Real estate is the same. It is important to complete proper research and due diligence on any investment asset to understand the risks. We are proponents of buying across stable, diversified (there’s that word again) markets. We also like value-add opportunities.
- Cash Flow: As is the case with a blue chip stock that pays a dividend, your goal in purchasing an investment property should be to have a monthly surplus of cash after all expenses are paid. Value-add opportunities offer room for cash flow growth.
- Tax Benefits: Nobody likes paying taxes. Real estate offers effective, legal ways to lower your yearly tax exposure. Two of the most prominent tools include depreciation and interest. These are paper write-offs allowable by the IRS. When you receive “an offer you cannot refuse,” remember/consider four important numbers: 1.0.3.1. Under Section 1031 of the United States Internal Revenue Code, a taxpayer may defer recognition of capital gains and related federal income tax liability on the exchange of certain types of property. This allows you to effectively kick the can down the road and leverage into larger assets over time.
- Building Equity: As an owner of leveraged real estate, every month, you will write the largest expense check (in most cases) for your LLC in the way of a mortgage payment. This is a positive thing; you are building equity in yourself. That’s right; think of your mortgage payment differently. You are leveraging other people’s money (banks, alternative forms of financing, etc.) to make money. Each monthly payment results in a slightly lower overall balance, which means you are building your net worth.
At any given moment, Black Diamond Realty has on and off market investment opportunities. Call us to explore the concepts above further and/or to discuss our current inventory of income-producing assets.