Sometimes, real estate investors neglect to put the right pizzazz in their investment properties. We think to ourselves, well: they’re just renting. They don’t care as much. It doesn’t matter what it looks like. We’re telling you: it matters. The rental market is growing and in demand, and there is plenty of competition, even in secondary and tertiary markets.

Renters aren’t going to settle anymore. In order to really compete, it’s important to keep up with some interior design and home showing trends, especially when you start considering renovations.

These are simple changes that will make you property timeless and appealing to a wide pool of renters. Remember: presentation matters, whether you’re showing to buyers or prospective tenants.

Friday October 7th 6:00PM to 7:30PM ~ Memphis Invest offices, Grapevine, TX.
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We love great tenants. Who doesn’t? They pay on time, they don’t cause trouble, and sometimes, they leave the our investment properties in better shape than when they found them. A good tenant is good reason to celebrate.

But really, what are the qualities that make up that ideal tenant? Sure, a nice, friendly disposition is great, and you can connect with someone on a personal level. But we all have friends that we like as people that we wouldn’t necessarily want to work with professionally.

What makes a good tenant good? What should you property manager be looking for—beyond the background checks and usual vetting—when deciding if a tenant is worth trying to retain or sign on in the first place?

This is an article that we originally published on BiggerPockets.com and have revised and updated here for our readers.  It is such an important topic for real estate investors and we realize that many of our readers are also active real estate investors and landlords.

Rental fraud is real and is something that we all have to be aware of and prepared to deal with.  It comes in many forms and really requires us to be diligent not only as landlords, but even as property management companies.

Rental fraud. It’s not fun, and reports of it happening have seemed like they’ve been going up all across the country. What’s an owner to do? How do you protect your property against such tactics?

For those of you blessedly unfamiliar with rental fraud, it’s what happens when someone who isn’t you or your manager claims to own your property and then proceeds to rent it out and earn rental income on unknowing tenants.

When they’re inevitably found out, the unfortunate (but still illegal) tenants must be removed and you’re left to with the mess of proving in court that you’re the one that owns the property, on top of other fun complications.

Wouldn’t it be better to avoid the chance of rental fraud in the first place?

Well, we’ve got good news: there are strategies you can employ to greatly reduce your chances to falling victim to such a scam.

There are plenty of virtues that make for a successful, well-rounded real estate investor. We’d argue the one of the most important is patience. In a world that teaches us to crave instant gratification, it’s practically a lost art!

For many, real estate investment is seen as a quick fix: maybe they’re not so naive as to call it a get-quick-rich scheme, but they expect things to work out quick and easy.

Any successful real estate investor will tell you that that’s far from the truth! Any type of real estate investment—even passive real estate investment—takes time and effort before the fruits of your labor really build and begin to multiply.

We all know what they say about Texas. And if it’s true anywhere, it’s true in Houston. Houston is the Lone Star state’s most populated city and the fourth largest city in the United States with a census-estimated population of over 2.2 million as of 2014.

Space City is a rich in art, culture, and innovation. It’s a technological hub, budding with industry. It has the largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions in the world. It’s home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Mission Control Center. It’s a hub for the energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and transportation industries.

Constantly attracting millennials, bringing in bright talent and business, Houston is truly a remarkable city.

And it’s no less true when it comes to real estate!

Fear can be a powerful motivator. It can also hold us back from being all that we can be. Achieving anything when we’re afraid of moving forward is no easy feat: but making decisions and moving ahead in spite of our fears is often necessary for success!

When it comes to investing in real estate, you will have moments where you’ll be afraid. Whether it’s risk or uncertainty, fear can make it incredibly difficult for you to know when to take the plunge and when to hold back.

Overcoming fear is harder for some than others—especially if you’re prone to anxiety or worry. But when it comes to your investments, you can’t afford to be fearful. You can only afford to be smart. Here’s how you can begin to overcome the fears that are holding you back from financial freedom.

Who doesn’t love a good book? Ever better is a good book that doesn’t take up any room on your already crowded shelves, and one that you can download and read instantly! For real estate investors on the go, sometimes an e-book is a wonderful solution to getting quick, concise information.

Whether you’re on a plane, a passenger on a road trip, or just relaxing at home, a Kindle is a wonderful portable e-reader to have. (No, this isn’t sponsored. Kindles are just kind of cool.) What’s even better is that there’s a whole library of books out there, many of them free, just for real estate investors!

In the wake of the UK’s decision to depart from the European Union, there’s been a lot of uncertainty and unrest surrounding the economic ramifications of the decision. With Britain’s ties to the global economy, the sense of instability has many—laymen and investors alike—feeling on edge.

Truth be told, no one really knows how the Brexit will ultimately impact the economy, locally and globally. Many are choosing to act with care.

That said, there are some pretty clear results of the Brexit already brewing for the United States—as it stands, U.S. real estate is looking good for our British neighbors, who are looking for secure investments after losing faith in their homeland’s offerings in the midst of upheaval and uncertainty.

It’s pretty clear, according to experts, that the Brexit could bring about a significant boost to U.S. real estate for just about everyone.

Every real estate investor has different goals and a different journey. No one’s really to say what is and isn’t the right or wrong way to do it, unless legalities are in question, or if something can be done more effectively to maximize cash flow.

That said, there are some distinct advantages when it comes to investing in real estate passively. Here’s the thing: investing in real estate only becomes a full-time job when you make it one.

Certain ways of investment might demand more of your time, but you can find great success in this business without dedicating all of your time to it.

We’d even argue that passive real estate investment is the best way to go! You earn money to fuel your financial goals without doing any of the heavy lifting. With the help of a turnkey investment company and a trusted property management team, you can find success in passive real estate investment.