Wholesaling Real Estate: Getting Started in Real Estate Investing-Try Wholesaling

“How should I get started with real estate investing?” The question varies slightly, but the core of it is always the same. And, for a new real estate investor, I think it is an important question to ask.

Years ago, when I began speaking at our local real estate group, I used sit down with each person, usually over lunch, and try to determine their knowledge level of real estate markets, financing techniques, sales skills and other critical knowledge areas before recommending how they should get started investing in real estate.

After doing a dozen of these meetings, it occurred to me that the answer I gave was the same regardless of their experiences, skills and knowledge.

Without fail, I encouraged them to start out wholesaling.

What is wholesaling?

Wholesaling, is finding great real estate deals. Then putting the house under contract and finding another investor or retail buyer to buy the contract to buy the house from you for a profit above what you agreed to pay the seller.

For example, you by at a big discount and sell that discount to someone else for a fee.

Why wholesaling?

I recommend wholesaling to starting real estate investors for several reasons.

First, it is a very low risk way of getting involved in real estate investing. When you put a house under contract, you are putting up as little as $10 and ideally no more than $100. Beyond your time and some marketing expenses, that is all you should have invested in your business when starting out.

Second, it is an exceptionally excellent way to learn your market. As a new investor, you might think that $10,000 below a refinance appraisal value is a good deal on a house. Your market will likely teach you otherwise and better to learn that lesson from trying to pass of this type of deal with only $10 invested in a binder deposit rather than try to sell this house while you are making mortgage, utility, taxes and insurance payments on a house you actually bought.

Third, you will get to know other investors and can learn from them. As a wholesaler, you should be finding what other investors want and are looking for in deals. Some will be helpful and will want to share information and time with you. Many will not; do not take it personally. There are good and bad folks in this industry just like there are good and bad lawyers, doctors and accountants.

Fourth, you can generate quick cash. A challenge common with many real estate investors is cash flow. Learning wholesaling is learning how to generate quick cash. Master the ability to generate quick cash and you have solved a lot of problems.

And finally, you can find great buy and hold deals for your portfolio. Inevitably, as you look for wholesale deals you will find exceptionally good long term buy, rent and hold properties for your own portfolio. I strongly suggest that you do half a dozen or more wholesale deals before you consider buying a long term rental. By then, you should have a much better idea of what a really good deal is than you did on your first day as a real estate investor.

Wholesaling Real Estate: Getting Started in Real Estate Investing-Try Wholesaling

“How should I get started with real estate investing?” The question varies slightly, but the core of it is always the same. And, for a new real estate investor, I think it is an important question to ask.

Years ago, when I began speaking at our local real estate group, I used sit down with each person, usually over lunch, and try to determine their knowledge level of real estate markets, financing techniques, sales skills and other critical knowledge areas before recommending how they should get started investing in real estate.

After doing a dozen of these meetings, it occurred to me that the answer I gave was the same regardless of their experiences, skills and knowledge.

Without fail, I encouraged them to start out wholesaling.

What is wholesaling?

Wholesaling, is finding great real estate deals. Then putting the house under contract and finding another investor or retail buyer to buy the contract to buy the house from you for a profit above what you agreed to pay the seller.

For example, you by at a big discount and sell that discount to someone else for a fee.

Why wholesaling?

I recommend wholesaling to starting real estate investors for several reasons.

First, it is a very low risk way of getting involved in real estate investing. When you put a house under contract, you are putting up as little as $10 and ideally no more than $100. Beyond your time and some marketing expenses, that is all you should have invested in your business when starting out.

Second, it is an exceptionally excellent way to learn your market. As a new investor, you might think that $10,000 below a refinance appraisal value is a good deal on a house. Your market will likely teach you otherwise and better to learn that lesson from trying to pass of this type of deal with only $10 invested in a binder deposit rather than try to sell this house while you are making mortgage, utility, taxes and insurance payments on a house you actually bought.

Third, you will get to know other investors and can learn from them. As a wholesaler, you should be finding what other investors want and are looking for in deals. Some will be helpful and will want to share information and time with you. Many will not; do not take it personally. There are good and bad folks in this industry just like there are good and bad lawyers, doctors and accountants.

Fourth, you can generate quick cash. A challenge common with many real estate investors is cash flow. Learning wholesaling is learning how to generate quick cash. Master the ability to generate quick cash and you have solved a lot of problems.

And finally, you can find great buy and hold deals for your portfolio. Inevitably, as you look for wholesale deals you will find exceptionally good long term buy, rent and hold properties for your own portfolio. I strongly suggest that you do half a dozen or more wholesale deals before you consider buying a long term rental. By then, you should have a much better idea of what a really good deal is than you did on your first day as a real estate investor.

Getting Started in Real Estate Investing

Investors need to realize that, as they embark on their real estate investing venture, although they’ll be doing most of the work and (hopefully) seeing a nice profit, the entire process is a collaborative effort.

No one would successfully be able to start a new job without the proper training, and only a fool would be able to turn a solid profit on the stock market without the proper guidance. So it is with real estate investing. Gone are the days of quick-and-easy buying and flipping with enormous profits. Investors need a plan if they’re going to succeed, and they’re also going to need some help.

Investing as a collaborative effort

It’s possible to know a great deal about real estate and be particularly savvy, but there are some things that need to be left to the professionals. While the Internet can be a tremendous source of information and help with research, it just will not tell anyone what is really going on with a house. It’s important to actually get out there and see the property.

An online home appraisal will not detail the quality of the house and the condition that its features are in. Internet reports will not indicate if there are new carpets or no carpets, or what sort of fixtures are in the bathroom, or what sort of kitchen and what sort of appliances there are. In order to do this, investors need to get out there - and often times, call in the pros for another opinion.

Throughout the investing process - and not just the first one, but with each and every property purchased, professionals are needed to aid investors:

An attorney. A lawyer will help an investor wrangle through any/all legalities of buying real estate. Any contracts that come as a result of the transaction must be written up by a lawyer.

Title or escrow company. The best ones to go with are the ones that work mostly with investors; they’ll speak the same language.

An insurance agent. Not just any insurance agent, but one that specifically deals with real estate contracts and such.

A CPA. Since investing should be treated as a business, an accountant is needed to help with finances and profits. The theme here is to find one that understands real estate and investors.

A mortgage broker. Again, it’s good to stick to one that understands investors and has experience with investors.

A contractor and a plumber. If the investment property is a fixer-upper, a contractor will need to come in to determine if any structural or cosmetic repairs are needed. A plumber should also be referenced as they will determine the conditions of the pipes, (if there are any leaks or major problems). Overhauling the plumbing for a house can be an enormous undertaking, just like with making structural repairs. Investors should keep a fair distance from houses with structural issues as these tend to kill the profit.

Just as lawyers specialize in an area, so should the pros that work with investors. This helps to keep everyone on the same page - and operating in harmony.

Getting Started in Real Estate Investing

Investors need to realize that, as they embark on their real estate investing venture, although they’ll be doing most of the work and (hopefully) seeing a nice profit, the entire process is a collaborative effort.

No one would successfully be able to start a new job without the proper training, and only a fool would be able to turn a solid profit on the stock market without the proper guidance. So it is with real estate investing. Gone are the days of quick-and-easy buying and flipping with enormous profits. Investors need a plan if they’re going to succeed, and they’re also going to need some help.

Investing as a collaborative effort

It’s possible to know a great deal about real estate and be particularly savvy, but there are some things that need to be left to the professionals. While the Internet can be a tremendous source of information and help with research, it just will not tell anyone what is really going on with a house. It’s important to actually get out there and see the property.

An online home appraisal will not detail the quality of the house and the condition that its features are in. Internet reports will not indicate if there are new carpets or no carpets, or what sort of fixtures are in the bathroom, or what sort of kitchen and what sort of appliances there are. In order to do this, investors need to get out there - and often times, call in the pros for another opinion.

Throughout the investing process - and not just the first one, but with each and every property purchased, professionals are needed to aid investors:

An attorney. A lawyer will help an investor wrangle through any/all legalities of buying real estate. Any contracts that come as a result of the transaction must be written up by a lawyer.

Title or escrow company. The best ones to go with are the ones that work mostly with investors; they’ll speak the same language.

An insurance agent. Not just any insurance agent, but one that specifically deals with real estate contracts and such.

A CPA. Since investing should be treated as a business, an accountant is needed to help with finances and profits. The theme here is to find one that understands real estate and investors.

A mortgage broker. Again, it’s good to stick to one that understands investors and has experience with investors.

A contractor and a plumber. If the investment property is a fixer-upper, a contractor will need to come in to determine if any structural or cosmetic repairs are needed. A plumber should also be referenced as they will determine the conditions of the pipes, (if there are any leaks or major problems). Overhauling the plumbing for a house can be an enormous undertaking, just like with making structural repairs. Investors should keep a fair distance from houses with structural issues as these tend to kill the profit.

Just as lawyers specialize in an area, so should the pros that work with investors. This helps to keep everyone on the same page - and operating in harmony.

First Steps In Real Estate Investing

With so many people making tremendous amounts of money in property or real estate it’s no wonder so many are looking at real estate as an investment. It offers more security than the stock market, provides great potential returns, offers tax benefits and it sounds cool to be ‘in real estate’.

One challenge many are faced with is the money to acquire a piece of property. You’ve heard, “I would love to invest in real estate, but I just can’t afford to!” Hardly anyone who buys a piece of real estate has enough money to pay for it. That’s where your banker comes in.

Owning your own home may sound like a somewhat obvious way to get started in real estate, but it is also a very good way to do so. This step is overlooked by a lot of people. Just take a look at how many people are still renting a property instead of buying one. People rent because in their mind, “they don’t have enough money to buy a house.” In reality it would be much cheaper for them to buy!

When you rent,you’re not building anything long term. Every dollar you spend on rent is a dollar you will never see again. If you own your own home, you would be paying your mortgage. The basics of practically all mortgages are more or less the same. Every month you make a payment which consists of two parts: interest and principle. Interest can be compared to rent. Those dollars are gone and you will never hear from them again. The part of the payment that goes to the principle is money you keep. Every dollar used to pay off the principal is a dollar you put in your own pocket.

So if you’re thinking about getting started in real estate and you don’t ‘own’ your own house yet… Change it, and get some experience. It’s a great first step towards building your capital and it makes more sense financially. There are opportunities for accelerating the process of building your net worth. When real estate prices go up, so does the value of your property. The money you owe the bank, your mortgage, remains the same. In other words this helps you build your net worth. People that pay rent… Their net worth does nothing. Their landlord’s net worth is doing very nicely in this scenario and he or she will probably love you for it. So if you get a warm feeling about making somebody else rich at your own expense… keep renting. To build your own capital … Buy your own house!

Many home owners have accumulated more money through appreciation of their property than by working a full time job for years. Before you go out and buy the first property you see, don’t forget some security measures are in order. As you may or may not know, real estate prices do not always go up. This can be shocker to some people, as well as an ugly reminder for those who overlooked this minor detail. If for some reason you would have to sell your home in a down market, it can be a costly adventure. You wouldn’t be the first to end up with a house worth considerably less than the mortgage. Make sure to keep some slack. Overall, real estate prices have always been on the rise, but in any cycle there are down periods. By keeping some slack and being patient you will be able to sit through these times and profit from the long term up-trend.

About the Author: With many years in the industry of property or real estate, host, Sintilia Miecevole’s site http://www.miraproperty.com will help you with searches from taxes, listings including residential, commercial and land to unclaimed property, vacation, waterfront and much more. Be sure to visit http://www.miraproperty.com for further information.