Recent studies from CNBC and Housingwire lament the returns on real estate flips. For three quarters, returns have been dropping, largely due to increased competition with buy-and-hold investors in the search for properties priced under market value.

As markets nationwide experience rising prices, such deals are harder to come by and the need for traditional financing has caused many flippers to purchase properties at full market value, which has hurt their returns.

Any time you’re dealing with money, it can be a stressful event. When it comes down to something like investing, it becomes even more daunting. For many people, investing conjures up ideas of the stock market and day trading: methods full of risk that can leave you stressed and broke by the end of the week.

Should real estate investors get a real estate license? 

It's a common question in the biz. The answer is a bit fuzzy, if only because it really comes down to an individual real estate investor's personal goals and strategy. There are many factors that make it more or less useful to a particular investor over another.

Some say that a sense of timing is everything. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. For many of us, waiting for the right time can become a security blanket.

We use it as an excuse to stop ourselves from taking leaps of faith. When it comes to investing in real estate, would-be investors make this excuse, too.

If we want to be at our very best as real estate investors, we've got to maximize our earning potential. Your passive income is affected by a lot of different factors: risk management, maintenance, mortgage, insurance, expenses, rent, and, yes...your residents.

Real estate investors are bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information each and every day.

Whether it’s news and blogs or data from property hunting, there’s just a lot to sift and sort through. And there’s never more information to deal with than when looking for new targets to add to your portfolio.

Investing in real estate is a great gig. We absolutely love this business. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be here! Not only is it one of the most rewarding and engaging ways to invest, but it’s also people-centered and people-driven. How often do you find that?

We’ve all heard at some time or another that real estate is a great investment. It’s true—investing in real estate can be your key to financial freedom and the retirement of your dreams. Unfortunately, a lot of people make the mistake of conflating “great investment” with “easy investment.”

We’ve all heard the saying “the devil’s in the details.” Less common but no less true is the counter, “God is in the details.” It’s the idea that paying attention to small things has big rewards! The details matter, and it’s no less true when it comes to real estate investment.

When buying an investment property, there are a lot of factors that go into the decisionmaking process. As real estate investors, you’re dedicated to optimizing your passive income—and that means weighing not only the cost of the property from the outset, but weighing its long-term potential.