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Step 1
Assess your financial requirements and goals. Do you need a steady stream of income from your rental or do you plan on selling it for a profit in a couple of years? If it's the latter, look for lower priced property that you can fix up as you rent it out.
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Step 2
Consider being a resident landlord by purchasing a multiunit property and living in one apartment. In many cases, the income from the other unit(s) will cover your mortgage payment, allowing you to effectively live for free. Being on-site has other advantages, including ensuring that the property is well-maintained.
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Step 3
Decide if you want to do maintenance yourself. If you have the skills, equipment and temperament to deal with upset tenants and a backed up toilet at 2 a.m., fine. If you plan on hiring a property manager, add about 5 percent of gross income into your calculations.
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Step 4
Choose the kind of property you want. Single-family houses are generally less expensive than apartment complexes because of pure size, but generate less income. Apartments, on the other hand, can require more upkeep.
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Step 5
Get preapproved for a mortgage (see How to Shop for a Mortgage). Financing investment property is different from residential property in that it requires a much larger down payment.
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Step 6
Start shopping: Check out classified ads in the newspaper and online. Find a real estate agent who specializes in commercial or income-generating properties.
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Step 7
Choose property where people want to live, close to shops, parks and decent schools, and in a well-kept neighborhood. There's nothing worse than owning a rental property without any renters. In addition, check out any restrictions on renting with the home owners association, which, if there is one, can have a say in any rental agreements.
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Step 8
Consider what improvements, if any, you may be willing to make. Buying a fixer-upper will be less expensive than a property in pristine condition, but you can go broke bringing a property up to rentable condition. Before you buy, get cost estimates for all necessary fixes. See How to Buy and Sell a Fixer-Upper.
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Step 9
Have the property inspected. You may also want to order an appraisal to get a fair market value.
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Step 10
Search past records for vacancy rates over the last five to ten years as well as at present. If the building is occupied, find out how long the tenants have lived at the property. Long-term residents are valuable, but may also have been signed on at a lower rental rate.
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Step 11
Plan on spending time and money advertising for and interviewing potential renters. Have a contingency plan in place if a unit remains vacant for a few months.
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Step 12
Determine what a competitive rental rate is for your property by asking rental agents what they would expect to charge, by reviewing area apartment listings, and by personally visiting units available in the neighborhood.
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Step 13
Run the numbers. Make certain that whatever income you derive covers your costs of owning the property, plus a profit.
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Step 14
Work with an attorney to draw up and review any necessary papers relevant to the purchase.
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Step 15
Negotiate the terms of the sale. Some sellers may be willing to pick up a share of closing costs and other expenses. The eventual price will also be affected by prevailing market conditions--keep these in mind when negotiating.







Comments
christopher5538 said
on 6/27/2009 Never take advice from a broker who can not spell buy properly
craigcardella said
on 8/26/2008 whom ever wrote this is NOT a real estate expert. As a senior broker, i advise clients how to but rental property. Rule one; Hire a good Broker to work for you. I can buy better property for less than you, I know what to look for and what to avoid, I'll even show you how to buy an inexpensive home warranty to protecy you against a mjor systems repair in year one.
I can always hire repairs at a lower cost than an individual and get the best contractors because I'm a repeat customer. Repair guys work for private individuals when they can't get professional jobs with management guys like me. Get the trend? Hire a pro.
Carig Cardella, Valdosta, GA
profit said
on 12/18/2007 Another area with some interesting RE opportunities is Jackson, MS (of all places!).
Info @ http://irvinehillsllc.com/WhyJackson.html
crimsonmang said
on 7/9/2007 I am looking to buy and rent a house in the DeLand Florida area. If anyone has any advice or suggestions for me I woul greatly appreciate it. Thanks.