Regardless of the current market situation in the real estate space, there’s no denying that real estate investing remains one of the most reliable and proven ways of not only securing your investments but growing them appropriately through appreciation. Furthermore, real estate doesn’t only pride itself in one stream of income but multiple avenues such as rentals, house flipping, and even dipping your toes in the commercial building sector; it’s a haven of multiple branches.
However, one common problem that both newbies and seasoned veterans often run into is considerable unoptimized expenses. It puts a dent in the profit margins that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. And so, today, we’ll be going over which areas you can cut costs efficiently, how you can approach them, and the unseen advantages of frugality in real estate investing.
#1 For Rentals, Be On The Lookout For Long-Term Tenants
In the case of rentals, be it multi-family properties or large apartment complexes housing multiple mini-suites, one surefire way of cutting down costs for the long term is to always be on the lookout for good tenants. Most newbie real estate investors often spend too much time on the project itself, and as a result, they forget just how important it is to select a proper tenant to live in the space that will abide by the rules they set.
A bad tenant can leave you with multiple headaches, delayed payments, and a whole checklist of renovations and fixes after they terminate their contract and become someone else’s problem. Therefore, we strongly recommend investing the necessary budget and time to screen tenants properly to save you both the money and effort of handling a less agreeable one.
#2 Select Properties With Good Upside Potential
Although it will take the development of a keen eye and several years of practice, it goes without saying that selecting properties with good upside potential will always net you the best profit margins, whether the investment is for commercial, residential, or rental purposes. You won’t have to tie up much of your working capital, and it gives you more wiggle room for any slip-ups that go unnoticed during the first round of renovations.
Likewise, we acknowledge the difficulty in discerning any existing property’s upside potential at the get-go, and even more so given our situation of a global pandemic. However, we still strongly recommend training this fundamental skill of property selection because it will allow you to allocate your funds more effectively as opposed to being limited by unexpected problems.
#3 Reduce The Expected Processing Fees With Professionals
Anyone new to the real estate investing game often rushes in with the misconception that fixing houses, finding buyers, and selling to the highest bidder is all there is to the process. Still, this belief can’t be farther from the truth. Any veteran will have a team of professionals that will help him mitigate taxes, streamline the transfer of property ownership, and even identify the tax-deductible costs accumulated in renovations.
Therefore, we also suggest that you seek professional conveyancing quotes, network with like-minded experts in the field, and build connections with established investors in your locality to build yourself your very own team. Your goal is to reduce all processing fees to secure both an advantage for you and your fellow business partners.
However, Understand The Current Market Situation
Despite the timeliness and relevance of optimizing one’s expenses to gain an edge in the real estate investing market, we should also take cautious steps toward understanding the current market situation. The world is nowhere near finished with its battle against Covid-19, and the general economic outlook remains grim even with the efforts to encourage economic recovery.
- Economy Is Still Worse For Wear: Worldwide supply chains remain strained, productivity numbers have failed to return to pre-pandemic levels, and prices of raw materials have been soaring in proportion. And putting this all into context, it’s safe to say that the economy is still worse for wear and can upend any bullish sentiment with volatility, even in the real estate market.
- Upcoming Existing Home Sales: Although current market momentum in home prices and demand support a seller’s market and active investing, the previous month’s report on existing home sales still came at -2.7%. Therefore, all eyes are on the 22nd of June to give us a proper overview of how well home sales are fairing, be it for better or worse.
Practice Vigilance And Prudence
Nevertheless, amidst this uncertain market, it’s not impossible to optimize your expenses so as long as you practice vigilance and prudence with your investing strategy. So, please take the advice mentioned above to heart, and feel free to tailor and pivot them as the situation changes and the need arises.