Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Residential Real Estate The Place To Start

By Cody Scholberg

If you are new to the buying and selling of investment properties, you should opt to get involved with residential properties first. A lot of people already have a keen knowledge about residential properties as opposed to commercial properties. If you opt to buy commercial properties to start off, you may not know what to look for or what you need to be apparent of. When you find yourself getting involved with commercial real estate, regardless if its retail or office spaces, each investment venture comes with its own set of complications and specific guidelines that must adhered to. Residential properties such as apartments, homes, duplexes, town houses and things of that nature have a less complex set of rules that you have to follow in order to purchase them.

Remember that when you opt to invest in residential properties, you will have to deal with tenants. A lot of people that invest in residential properties do so, so they can rent them out to people. It will be your obligation to ensure that the property that you purchase is properly maintained.

Normally when you deal with residential properties, you will consistently have a positive flow of income coming in every single month from your investment. However, a lot of people hesitate to get involved with investment properties that are in residential places because they do not want to have to take on the extra responsibilities that come along with their investment.

As the property owner of the residential property, you are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep that will eat into your profits. Keep these facts in mind if you want to invest in this type of real estate for a long-term investment. The options for financing residential real estate are better than commercial property. The financial institutions generally only lend about 70% on commercial properties but on residential properties, you can have up to 90% for the loans. This makes obtaining residential real estate easier than commercial real estate.

Residential properties will continue to pay for themselves. You will consistently have tenants in your dwelling, which means you will always have an extra source of income coming in every single month. However, the biggest drawback that comes into the picture when you are investing in residential properties is the fact that you will take on the role of a landlord. You will be responsible for all repairs as well as maintenance that has to be done on the home while a tenant is occupying it.

It is wise to remember that investing in any type of property requires work and can be a full time job yet the long-term gains are great.

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