What makes a real estate investor successful? There are plenty of arguments to be made, ranging from knowledge and experience to sheer luck. So much success in the investment world, however, is directly connected to your attitude.

Every successful real estate investor is supported by the unsung heroes of the industry: financial and portfolio advisor, property managers, contractors, and turnkey professionals. Not only do far too many investors neglect the wealth of professional resources at their disposal, but they don’t always make the most of the ones they have.

While there’s no doubt that real estate is one of the best investments you can make, too many newbie investors go into it without considering the risks. They think because they own their own home or have rented in the past, they know what they’re looking for.

If you’re a go-with-the-flow real estate investor, you’ll never reach your full potential. You can be perfectly comfortable with average results, but is that really what you want to be? Average? 

Let’s cut to the chase: when you want to succeed as a real estate investor, there are just some things you’ve got to do. You’ll come across lots of tips and tricks for making your rental properties work, but we’ve got the absolute essentials.

At REI Nation, our executive team frequently reads and discusses books that we feel will give us new insight, inspiration, and wisdom into what we do. One such book is Tilman Fertitta’s, Shut up and Listen!

As technology progresses, we see people looking to innovate the investment game. Technology, after all, offers some unique advantages and conveniences that we once didn’t have. Even just the internet and its ability to connect people around the globe have revolutionized how we invest. 

Most of us aspire to be in a better position than where we are right now. Taking that aspiration and channeling it into real, meaningful life change that turns into success—be it in career, wealth, or relationships—is another story entirely.

When you think about what it takes to succeed in real estate investment, what comes to mind? Many times, we think of our physical assets and resources. We think we need money. We think about opportunity. We think that if we just have enough cash, the right property, and the right people, boy. We’d be set!

Mind over matter.

We’ve all heard that phrase at some point in our lives, but have you really stopped to think about what it means? It’s in reference to the use of willpower to overcome a physical obstacle. Fairly straightforward. For real estate investors, however, there is more wisdom to glean from that age-old saying.