If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past year about Houston, it’s that this city knows how to keep going. While many predicted that this year’s ongoing oil slump would cause a cooling in Houston’s real estate market, it just hasn’t happened. Despite layoffs in the energy sector and dropping oil prices, Houston, on the whole, has barely flinched.

Despite a somewhat flat August (by Houston’s standards, anyway), Houston home prices jumped to a record September high with 4.5% year-over-year growth: hitting a $208,000 median and defying predictions that Houston’s real estate prosperity was coming to an end. (You can see the full September report from the Houston Association of Realtors here.)

What’s keeping things going strong in the face of so many negative predictions? With so much attention on their market—one of the hottest in the country, along with fellow Texas city, Dallas—how has Houston managed to succeed time and time again, even with big oil in question? The answer dips deep into economic history...and how a city once dependent on energy is holding its own in every way.

Generating passive income sounds amazing in concept, doesn’t it? Income. Passive. Knowing that without expending too much time, effort, and energy, you could be racking up the cash to cover your retirement, or that trip to the Bahamas you’ve been dreaming about. Passive income comes in many shapes and sizes. Now more than ever, there are a million different ways to start generating passive income.

And real estate investment, in certain forms, is one of them!

It all depends on how you choose to invest. Investing in real estate can be a great avenue to financial security and freedom, but would-be investors need to be wary of the myths and misconceptions surrounding earning passive income through real estate.

How long has it been since you last picked up a good book? What about any good real estate books?  Reading gets shoved by the wayside more often than not. It’s a shame, since it means you’re probably missing out! Whether you’re dusting off an old favorite full of good reminders or challenging yourself with new material, reading is a great way to rejuvenate yourself—whether in reorienting your goals, learning something new about yourself, or giving you fresh ideas to prep for the new year.

For real estate investors, learning from those before us—in business and entrepreneurship as well as specifically in real estate—is a valuable piece of the puzzle.

From now until the end of the year, pick up a book or two. You never know what ideas will spur you onward to greater success in real estate investment.

For investors just starting out, everything can be more than a little overwhelming. Your financial future is something to be excited about, but there’s never a shortage of apprehension. There will be days when you ask yourself what you’ve gotten yourself into! It’s a little daunting to look at the success of other real estate investors, which can be both inspiring and intimidating.

In the beginning, your goals will either seem out of reach, or you’ll be expecting to reach them overnight. Neither is true: but with the right mindset, persistence, and dedication, you’ll get closer and closer to achieving the goals you’re after. 

Want to know a good place to start? Here it is.

Investing in real estate is not always a primrose path. Yes, it’s one of the best avenues to financial freedom. Yes, it’s about as passive as passive income gets. We really believe that there’s no better investment!...but that doesn’t mean it’s not challenging work. There will be times when your investments, your managers, your tenants...well, they just make you mad.

Maybe your tenant damaged the property in an easily avoidable incident. Maybe your manager didn’t listen to instructions, or your maintenance guys did a slipshod job that ended up costing you far more in the long run. From small frustrations to downright disasters, the frustration and anger you may feel in the moment can lead to drastic, emotionally-charged decisions that end up doing more harm than good.

For real estate investors, it’s best to guide your business with logical decisions, not emotional ones. As anger is one of the strongest and most seemingly uncontrollable feelings we can experience, so it’s essential to have strategies in place to deal with those moments that just get your blood boiling.

The good people of the Lone Star state have one thing in common: a taste for good food and flavor. When you’re visiting Dallas, TX, you’d be missing out to skip the wide selection of quality, diverse eateries. While you’re visiting, don’t settle for food you can get anywhere. The eclectic and quality food scene in Dallas isn’t one to be missed.

For those of you coming to our Meet n Greet at our Dallas area offices in Grapevine, TX. this weekend, you are going to want to print this list and maybe try to catch one or two while you are in town!

Skip the chains stores and step into some of the top Dallas restaurants. Your tastebuds will thank you.

In the past, the rental markets that people clamored for were typically coastal cities. In the East, there was Florida and New York. The West had California’s many offerings, like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Undoubtedly, there’s some almost magical appeal about big markets like that. But investors, for a long time now, are taking advantage of alternative markets that have offerings that can make for just as much (if not more) success.

The big markets have grown so expensive that investing in them has become challenging to say the least, for all but the most affluent investors. The rent-to-price ratio just doesn’t add up in a favorable way for most real estate investors. Over the past several years, real estate investors are progressively looking inland for investment opportunities—and they’re finding them! 

For out-of-state investors, it’s vital to looking for that marriage of affordability and potential in the rental market. Out of the places you’ll find, Memphis, Tennessee is pretty high on that list.

Investing in real estate may be one of the best ways to secure passive income for your financial future, but that doesn’t make it a primrose path. There are plenty of headaches that can come from being an owner. There are more headaches in store if you’re also acting as landlord. Whether or not you employ a property manager or management company, every owner should be aware of the dos and don’ts of the eviction process.

No one ever wants to evict a tenant. Legal entanglements are always a pain, and evictions can be particularly rough.

The eviction itself is a hassle, but then you have to deal with filling a vacancy, and quickly. So if you or your manager sees the need to evict a tenant, where do you begin? What should you do? What should you definitely not do?

We’re here to help you navigate it all.

At the tail end of 2007, America rang in a recession alongside the new year. This economic downturn officially lasted until June of 2009...though many negative effects having continued to linger well into 2015.  As it’s been one of the most significant economic crises in the United States in the last century, many now call it “The Great Recession.”

As real estate investors, it’s vital to pay attention to the economic climate—not just in our local markets, but in the U.S. as a whole.

We still struggle with the aftershocks of the recession. Its causes, recovery, and future are intrinsically tied to the real estate market, unlike that of recessions past. Especially as so much is hinging on the housing market, now more than ever, we should strive to understand how it happened and where we need to go from here.

We’ve written many a time about the issue of millennial homebuyers. More importantly, a lack thereof. Millennials, our generation’s 20- and 30-somethings, are often saddled with student debt and financial hardships that cause them to delay life’s big milestones: buying a home, getting married, and having children.

To most of us investors, we think of millennials as our renters. Not our colleagues. For millennials, however, getting involved in real estate investment—particularly turnkey real estate investment—might just be the best route to homeownership and financial freedom.