There’s something attractive about the idea of a transformation. We see it captured in our media over and over again. It’s famously captured in Shaw’s Pygmalion, it’s on nearly every HGTV show.

We’re enamored with before and afters, fascinated with how something can be turned around. More importantly, in the world of real estate investment, we're interested in how a transformation can turn a profit.

New real estate investors usually have the impulse to invest where they are. They want to stick with the market they’re familiar with, the properties they can visit and see, the things they can control.

The idea that they should invest outside of that in markets that are thousands of miles away sounds preposterous! In actuality, remote real estate investing isn't as crazy as it might sound. In fact, it offers some of the best investment opportunities you'll find in real estate.

In the world of real estate investment, there is a crucial element that makes everything work. Without it, the whole concept falls apart: property management.

As passive real estate investors especially, we rely on property managers to allow us to be passive in the first place. Without their diligent management, we would have to involve ourselves in much of the day-to-day operations of our investments: defeating the purpose of “passive” real estate investment!

Passive real estate investors know that, ultimately, they need to grow beyond a single investment property. It’s the only way to truly grow their passive income! For first-time investors, though, it’s not quite as simple as buying a second property willy-nilly. An investment property is a large purchase that, especially in the beginning, has to be saved for and carefully considered.

What makes a company good? We have many different metrics that define our standards of service. When we work with a company, whether in a short-term engagement (like purchasing a product or dealing with their customer service representatives) or in the long-term (like buying a subscription service or partnering in a long-term arrangement), there are certain expectations that we have. Certain ways we desire to be treated.

Can you believe we’re already in the home stretch of 2017? The year flew by for many of us. The world of real estate is a whirlwind. We’ve seen a lot in the past year—but where have we landed? As we head towards the holidays and a new year, it’s time to stop and assess where we are as real estate investors, a national real estate market, and where we want to be for the future.

New to passive real estate investment? You’ve probably realized that it’s quite a bit different from other forms of investing. You’re not expected to be an expert. You’re not making this your full-time or even a part-time job. As a real estate investor, you likely just want real estate investment to be an avenue to earn passive income to help secure a solid financial future.

When we’re taught about real estate investment strategies, especially as they relate to single-family properties, it is drilled into us that we have to buy below market value if we want to see good returns.  The problem with that statement is that each real estate market is unique and there are always different strategies that different investors employ at different times.  So, one statement, that while on the surface looks like great advice, may not always make sense for each investor.

Take one look at Google and you’ll see that there’s content for days on real estate investment. Anyone looking to learn has a wealth of resources at their fingertips. The problem, naturally, is that it can be information overload!

As real estate investors, we all want our properties to stay in tip-top condition. After all, a rental property in good condition means it shows better, retains and accumulates better value, and better satisfies our residents. When we’re not actively working to improve the condition of our investment properties, we certainly don’t want them to be damaged.