Investing in real estate can get overwhelming from time-to-time, even for those of us who choose passive investments. There’s still a lot to keep up with: income, expenses, taxes, leads, contacts, research, books, notes...it can all get out of hand if you’re not careful!

Even for those of us who take pride in organization, all of that information can be daunting. We have IRAs and retirement plans and bank accounts and CPAs and this form and that form and where did you put that file, and why can’t you find that one piece of paper that you need?

Organization is an art that many need and few master. Hopefully, these tips will help you sharpen your organization skills and gain just a little bit of the control you want and need over your investments.

Customer Service...an often used phrase, some say over-used, by companies that want to set themselves apart from their competition.  For Memphis Invest, our mission has always been to provide the best possible experience for everyone that comes into contact with our company.

For us, it is more than just the experience of our clients.  

The customer service experience extends all the way to our tenants.  It extends all the way to our vendors and even to our team.  Everyone is a "client" if they come into contact with our company and their experience matters to us.

From the very beginning, Memphis Invest understood that our reputation meant everything.  It would be built daily on the service each of those four groups received from us.  Our goal was to build the best systems, team, training and program.  We knew, as we do today, that no company in our industry approached the customer service experience the way we did.  

Investing in real estate should mean that you’re earning passive income. You’re not breaking your back to get your paycheck—granted, some investors like to get more involved: flippers, wholesalers, even landlords. But we’d argue that these are really jobs, investments of time as much as they are investments of money.

AND they take up a lot of time. For the investor looking to earn passive income, however, you know that you can be passive. Turnkey real estate investing, for example, offers an avenue where you don’t have to be involved in the daily details of your investments.

The best Turnkey companies, well - let me be more frank here and say that Memphis Invest is one of only two companies that do this - will have a fully dedicated team to support investors with timely updates on their portfolios.  Those updates are important in keeping that investment as passive as possible. 

Real estate investing does not have to be hard and it does not have to be time consuming, but much of what makes it passive is that team.  If you've picked the right team, then they will make you feel comfortable with the passive nature of this investment and help you understand a key point.

Even the most passive real estate investments take some work.

Turnkey real estate is about as passive as passive gets. But if you want to be successful in turnkey real estate, there are some things you still have to do. There are some places you’re going to have to get in there and get your hands dirty.

Twitter is still one of the top social media platform out there, alongside the likes of Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram. Twitter hasn’t had to do much to mix things up over the year. They’re still using 140 characters for users to deliver punchy, quick messages—messages that have sparked movements, delivered news, and created a culture of conversation.

For those that invest in real estate, Twitter can be a valuable tool for connecting with other real estate professionals. Whether you’re following for advice, news, or looking to strike up a good rapport, Twitter is a great way to do it.

That said, it can be hard to find good people to follow on Twitter if you don’t know where to look.  But never fear—we’re here to help you out!

Misconceptions in the world of real estate investment are all-too easy to come by.

Some are generated by what we think seems like common sense—it just seems logical, so we don’t stop to think about how it really is—or it comes from years of misinformation being passed around. Whatever the reason, myths have caused many an investor to make big mistakes in the biz.

It’s also stopped some folks from getting started at all!

One of the biggest barriers to getting started in real estate investment is money. Money is, for many of us, a big motivator for getting involved in investing in the first place. We’re dreaming of leaving our desk jobs for financial freedom, or trying to build up a strong retirement and secure a financial future for our children.

For whatever reason, money tends to play an important role. So there’s no surprise that there are quite a few misconceptions about money’s role in investing. We’re here to address a few:

We have been discussing the positives to the Memphis market as a whole for many years now.  The position of the market is constantly changing based on announcements from new employers, on new projects and new incentives for growing firms in the Memphis area.  

All of these developments weigh on the success of the Memphis housing market as well.  When jobs are growing; when companies are expanding; when there are new opportunities being created in the city, the positives from these types of developments spill over onto the housing market.

The city itself and the surrounding areas grow from a migration of new residents.  Job growth pushes down the unemployment rate.  Job growth helps drive up demand for housing on both the owner-occupied side and the renter side of the equation.  With greater demand comes appreciation, especially in more stable and desirable areas, as well as a rise in rents.

Both developments are great for long-term real estate investing.

Now comes word from Wambrodt Hotel Investments that they are high on the Memphis market and are looking at several hotel projects in the city of Memphis.  This is a big development because Memphis is sorely lacking in this area.  We need more hotel rooms and more updates to existing infrastructure.  

With several hundred rooms under construction or slated for construction in the downtown area, Memphis will be in the position to host future and larger events.  With that construction comes jobs during all phases including after they are complete.  Those jobs are big!  

Here is the newsletter from Herb Wombrodt highlighting why they are excited about Memphis!

New investors are usually concerned with keeping costs down. They want to see their profit margins go up and really...who can blame them? They got into real estate investment with hopes of making some money on the side, and the best strategy seems like it’s to spring for cheaper properties and keep costs low. Maybe they even decide they can landlord it themselves.

After all, do they even really need a property manager? What’s so hard about it?

And then, a few months in, they realize they’re losing their mind trying to do it all, nothing’s going like they wanted it to, and they aren’t even seeing the profits they want (or need), and it sure as heck isn’t passive income. What happened?

For starters, there’s an old adage that seems to always hold true for real estate, even if investors don’t always see it at first.

What makes a real estate blog worth reading?

That’s a pretty subjective question on the surface. It can be pretty subjective, true, but we’d like to believe there’s some sturdy criteria that you can follow when it comes to real estate blogs so you can know what’s worth reading.

How do you avoid getting suckered in by a bad blog? Whether it’s a dead blog, an empty sales pitch, or just plain bad advice, knowing where the good stuff is will save you some precious time and energy, and maybe some costly mistakes.

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Let's talk about a topic that most real estate investors really hate to talk about, think about and sure don't want spend too much time reading about.  Rental property management!

This topic is about as polarizing as politics for real estate investors because so many have specific thoughts and beliefs.  And to be sure, property management is a tough business. Unfortunately, there is a ton of mis-information, innuendo and just plain false stories about the property management business.  

For investors who have taken on landlord responsibilities, you know just how demanding it can be. But most real estate investors never deal with the nitty gritty details of property management, even if they understand what goes into it. 

Unfortunately, that theoretical understanding of the gargantuan task of property management means that too many investors are willing to overlook quality to save on costs.

We understand—really. After all, you’re in this business to make money, and if you’re spending a ton on property management, it means fewer dollars in your retirement accounts when rent is due. Right?

Not so fast.

Its never too early to start planning for taxes!  It may be tax day 2016, but we have a fantastic webinar with Amanda Holbrook, formerly with Memphis Invest and currently a superstar at Specialized IRA services, to help you get planning for next year!