If you are in the real estate business, even as an investor, take a moment to consider what you really do.  Many come to the conclusion that they are selling real estate or real estate services such as providing property management for tenants.  Many look at real estate as a way to make a living or earn a return on investment and over-look a key element to any successful business. 

Welcome to the peak home buying season of the year! The first quarter of 2015 was sluggish in many real estate markets, Memphis included. The cold temperatures combined with lingering recession struggles and aftereffects of the market crash meant that things were slow to take off.  But now, it looks like Memphis real estate is in for an upturn.  One big reason...real estate investing!  As more and more are turning to renting a property rather than buying, the opportunity for real estate investors continues to grow.

Don’t get us wrong, the market wasn’t bad in the first quarter — homes were selling and home building was on the rise in Shelby County. There just wasn’t significant growth during the difficult months of February and March. By the same token, there wasn’t a decline in growth, either, which has lead to much optimism for the second quarter among real estate professionals.

This may be one of the most important articles on real estate you read, so pay close attention. Those words are not just hype either. This is an important topic for my family and our company.  We have seen many investors get hurt by purchasing Turnkey properties from unscrupulous companies.  However, we have seen even more investors get hurt by purchasing from inexperienced companies who use marketing gimmicks to sell their properties.  

Some people like to consider what some of the worst-sounding words in the English language are. While many would say moist is the most cringe-worthy word in our language, we’ve got to say that mortgage is right up there with it. The sound of the word is one thing, but the connotations that comes with it are another.

Real estate investors and property managers are all familiar with the frustration of tenants who never seem to pay their rent on time, which can throw your positive cash flow out-of-whack. Even when tenants pay the rent in full over the course of a month (making payments each week), the use of technology like mobile and online payments can add a sense of security for an owner.  Knowing that it is easy for your tenants to pay can reduce the stress of having to stay on top of those payments through the month.

With modern technology, it just doesn’t make sense for owners not to take advantage of the growing online and mobile payment avenue.

For most people, saying “renter” will bring up a particular image. Twenty-somethings, singles, young families — people who, essentially, can’t afford to buy their own home yet. While they, along with college students, make up a significant portion of renters, they are far from the only ones.

In fact, there’s quite the number of Baby Boomers turning to renting in their sunset years. Enough that real estate investors would do well to investigate. Marketing with Baby Boomers in mind in the right places may just give your investments a boost.

As we all know, Houston has been making real estate headlines for quite some time now. Space City took a softer blow during the recession and, consequently, has been experiencing a thriving real estate market (comparatively speaking). Most analysts saw Houston as top dog in 2015 as the local economy continued to grow along with housing demands.

The Houston real estate market wasn’t without its problems and complications of course (which market doesn’t?), but all seemed smooth sailing…

It's safe to say that most real estate investors are in the business to make money and many are actually planning for an event.  That requires planning and saving for that special something. In many cases, that something is retirement.

There are many, many reasons for real estate investors to rely on a good property manager. It’s no secret that property management is a difficult job. Any owner who has taken on landlord responsibilities themselves can vouch for that!

The reason investors ought to seek a property manager (or property management company) go beyond simple convenience. Having a top-notch manager can be the single biggest factor in the success of your investments.  On the flip side of that statement...having a poor property manager can be the end of your successful investment.