From security apps that control your security system remotely to GPS-tracking alarm raisers, we’re counting down some of the most useful security devices out there for real estate investors: whether for your properties or your personal safety. While there is front end cost for solid security, it’s well worth it in the end in terms of protection and value.

Here are just a few cutting-edge tools that can protect your investments.

Want more information on 'How To' invest in Memphis, Dallas or Houston?  Click here for a personal Jump Start Packet with everything you need to know to get you started!

What's Been Happening In Houston Real Estate...?

For the past few years, Houston has been the place to be for real estate. After the housing bubble burst, Houston fared better than the vast majority of comparable markets. A strong local economy was a big contributing factor to mitigating the effect of the market crash: continuing to attract young professionals and industry where other cities slumped.

Houston wound up at the forefront of housing market recovery, bringing in the eyes and ears of real estate experts, investors, Realtors, homeowners and job-seekers alike. For many, Houston became a model of recovery.

With that kind of pressure and attention, some were afraid Houston’s real estate would buckle, resulting in a crash and burn.

Some think it might still happen. Why? It boils down to Houston doing too well. The scales are tipped highly in favor of sellers with skyrocketing prices and exponential demand. A tighter inventory on top of sluggish home building only kept that trend going.

But what’s really been going on in Houston?

Want to learn more about Memphis Invest?
Just click below and learn at your own pace!

There’s a certain unique energy to investors when they’re starting out for the first time. One of my favorite parts of working with so many investors or participating on real estate investing forums like BiggerPockets.com is getting to interact with new investors.  The potential for positive cash flow and passive income are sweet, sweet images to consider. It’s easy to real estate investors to be excited about their opportunities in the beginning. It’s hard work, but it’s new, challenging and exciting.

There’s an irreplaceable je ne sais quoi to it all.

Smartphones are so handy. We use them to connect with the world around us—through news, social media, and...okay, maybe a little bit of Candy Crush, too. There are also tons of tools out there to increase productivity and keep track of all of things life throws at us. Not everyone thinks to effective utilize their devices for work, though.

If it seems like we spend a lot of time talking about millennials (your present day 20-to-30-somethings, loosely put), it’s because, well...they’re important! Millennials are the our recent graduates and increasingly the face of our workforce. They’re getting degrees, securing careers and settling down, just like the generations before them.

To the untrained eye, despite murmurs of student debt ceilings and employment rates, it might seem that millennials are just like the generations before them. But there’s a point that we as real estate investors need to pay mind to when it comes to millennials: 

Millennials are holding the real estate market back. 

At first glance, that statement seems to be blaming millennials. It’s really not. We keep talking about it because the state of millennials, both economically and in their mindset, continues to shape modern economics and markets whether we like it or not. While millennials aren’t entirely responsible for the sluggish real estate market, many proport that if they’d just buy homes already, the market could make a full recovery.

Unfortunately, it’s just not that simple.

Have you ever labeled yourself as a procrastinator? Procrastination can show up in a lot of different ways and stems from plenty of reasons — but it’s never good. Whether you feel that you “work better under pressure” or just can’t muster the will to get things done, procrastination isn’t as harmless as it may seem.

Need to sit down and catch up on your reading? We’ve saved you the trouble of surfing the web by compiling a list of some real estate news and helpful real estate articles for investors to take to heart this week.

Now more than ever, kids are going to college. With so many students, it’s no surprise that colleges and universities across the country are filling up and students are on the hunt for off-campus or privately-owned housing.

For real estate investors, there’s often a negative association with renting to students — we think of loud house parties, irresponsible tenants and property damage. While, no doubt, there are some risks involved with renting to this unique demographic, it can also be very profitable.

The fact is, the demand is there. The question is if we as investors are going to do anything about it.

Does the idea of growing your portfolio sound appealing? We've surveyed the real estate investors at Memphis Invest and for most, it does! Real estate investors should be able to have a strategy for future growth and look forward to a flourishing, successful business. That said, there’s a danger in growing too quickly. The best way to set yourself up for success in real estate investment is to maximize the efficiency of what you have, whether it’s two properties or twenty.

When you have investing in real estate down to a fine art and everything is working as well as it can, then talk about adding more investment properties to the mix.

It’s time again for your weekly dose of must-read real estate news! For real estate investors, constantly brushing up on current events and expanding your knowledge is a vital part of being the best investor you can be. From big real estate news to advice and little-known facts, we’ve gathered some of the most recent, relevant real estate articles from around the web.

We hope you learn something new!